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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24556147">every lover in the form of stars</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/starstrikes/pseuds/starstrikes'>starstrikes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Idols, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Atsumu-centric, Brief Mention of an Eating Disorder, Developing Relationship, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Slow Burn, Social Media, Tension, i have been informed that this fic is in fact a slow burn, i have written yet another tsumu love letter, i wrote the produce 101 au i deserve, pd101 au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:06:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>51,095</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24556147</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/starstrikes/pseuds/starstrikes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When two stars meet out in space, they either merge together to form something bigger, something new, or shatter into an infinity worth of shiny stardust.</p><p>Atsumu figures out early on that he and Sakusa were just like that, two stars colliding headfirst into each other in an ever-expanding universe. He’s still waiting to see if they’re about to become better—or burn out in supernova together.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>182</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>918</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>every lover in the form of stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/starstrikes/gifts">starstrikes</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I cannot believe I actually managed to post this fic today: this fic is dedicated to myself LMAOOOO happy birthday to me!!!!</p><p>Warnings/TW: some brief mentions of fasting/eating disorders. It's very briefly implied in some scenes that certain characters dehydrate or throw up purposefully. there is also a very brief mention of a character taking painkillers. these mentions are pretty brief and do not really play a large part in the plot of this fic, so please decide for yourselves. </p><p>For people who don't understand Produce 101: Produce 101 is a Korean trainee survival show in which 101 trainees from many companies compete in order to make the final debuting lineup of 11 members through multiple rounds of performances. The main theme of the show is the "pyramid" so just imagine a triangle with rankings (ie 1 being the top, 2 &amp; 3 being in a second row). I do touch on certain concepts of the show within the fic, most of the competition rounds should be explained in some detail? Produce 101 has a real life Japanese season, but I haven't watched that (lmao) so this is very strongly based on the Korean seasons. (references to s1 and s2 happen within the fic). I'd also be happy to explain any concept you don't understand in the comments!</p><p>nobody in this fic in the social media bits is "real" other than a few shoutouts to some of my friends on twitter. the only fan in this fic with any sort of discernable personality is Kay, who you can spot popping up multiple times around the fic with the twitter user @onetwoseven. that's my personal self-insert, and of COURSE she's an atsumu stan. </p><p>otherwise: i hope y'all enjoy :D</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>[BREAKING] HQENM ANNOUNCES PRODUCE 101 JAPAN</b>
</p><p>
  <em>Posted Apr 13, 2019</em>
</p><p>HQENM and Japanese agency LEAGUE have announced that they will be collaborating to co-produce Japan’s first season of the popular reality show <em>Produce 101</em> following the success of the show’s first and second season. The auditions for the show will begin on April 24th and 101 trainees will be selected for the first filming.</p><p>The show aims to form an 11-member group that will be managed by VL Entertainment, a subsidiary of LEAGUE. In the press conference held by HQENM today, they stated: “the final group will be a project group with a promotion length of two years, albeit this is subject to change.”</p><p>Popular talk show host Ukai Keishin has been slated to be the show’s host, and there have been rumors that J-Pop soloist Meian Shugo has signed onto the show as well.</p><p>Korea's idol industry has long since overshadowed Japan's male idols, and the show aims to create a “Japanese boy group purely targeting a Japanese audience” as stated by the LEAGUE spokesperson Nekomata Yasafumi, who will be acting as the producer for the show. </p><p>“Produce 101 Japan” is scheduled to begin airing in June. Below is the teaser which was aired at the press conference.</p><p>
  <b>[VIDEO TITLE: 2019 PRODUCE 101 JAPAN BEGINS!]</b>
</p><p>[Tags: Produce 101, Produce 101 Japan]</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>⇅⇅⇅</p>
</div>Everybody knows there are only two reasons you get called in to see management. Atsumu catalogues <b>1. You’re going to debut</b> and <b>2. They’re about to drop your trainee contract</b> on the walk from the practice room up to the offices.<p>Being tapped for a reality show, a <em>survival</em> show was both an honor and an insult. An honor, because it meant that in some shapeless way or form, the company believed in you. An insult, because it meant that in some shapeless way or form, the company didn’t believe in you <em>enough</em>.</p><p>Atsumu spends the next three nights crammed next to Osamu and Suna on one of their shitty bunks binging the last two seasons, memorises the competition format and the performances and the fakeness of the smiles everyone on screen has plastered on their faces. Kita holds the phone steady, the grainy video buffering every few minutes because of their shitty connection. </p><p>Atsumu has the loosest grasp on Korean between all four of them, but even he can tell that the Japanese subtitles are appearing two sentences too late and half the translations aren’t even entirely correct. It’s been a long day of practice, preparing a grueling routine for their auditioning act, but Atsumu still watches every episode, taking note of what gets people noticed and what gets people hated.</p><p>It takes them over thirty hours of pouring over two batches of 101 to figure out their strategies for the show. None of them talk about how there are only eleven spots and it’s impossible for all four of them to debut. They agonise over the shittily translated subtitles on each episode and don’t mention anything about how even the other three have become competition now. </p><p>Atsumu watches those figures on-screen get propelled by humanity to stardom in the span of thirteen episodes and tries really, really hard not to feel envious. But when you have over five years of training experience under your belt, it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth when others can achieve what you want in five months.</p><p>Management calls them in one by one to work on their personality angles for the show. Kita volunteers to go first with steel in his spine. He has it the easiest—they just need him to be more emotive when expressing his natural tendency to care and he’ll be viral faster than you can say <em>paid screentime</em>. </p><p>Atsumu squares his shoulders as he passes Suna in the hallway, preparing himself for some sort of war. They want him to be friendly, to play nice with the other trainees. They tell him things he already knows: stick close to the trainees who are popular, be careful interacting with your teammates for each performance, always smile for the camera.</p><p>They want him to be genuine. Atsumu hides a scoff at the irony. This is the part he hates most: after the dust settles in the aftermath of a battle, the management team representative asks him the question he dreads most.</p><p>The world is unfair. This is something Atsumu has learned on the first day he stepped into a training room. Still, “You know that between you and your brother, we can only afford for one of you to debut, right?” stings like nothing else.</p><p>Atsumu knows, <em>of course</em> he does. Carefully, he smiles, forcing his eyes to curve into crescents. Deliberately, he says, “We’ll both work hard to make the debut lineup.”</p><p>The manager must be new. He knows the exact moment the smile works because he scrunched his nose up a split second before. She sighs and the topic is dropped. Hook, line, and sinker.</p><p>“Good luck, Atsumu-kun,” she tells him. “I wish you the best of luck.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Atsumu grins, counterfeit perfection. “I’ll need it.”</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>⇅⇅⇅</p>
</div>TAG: PD101JP · posted by PD101JP_SUBS <em>3 hours ago</em><p>
  <b>[TRANS] OFFICIAL TRAINEE PROFILES</b>
</p><p>Hi! This is the official subbing team for Japan’s newest season of Produce 101! We aim to bring you translated content as fast as possible and will be subbing all of the episodes as well as any extra content!</p><p>We will be posting more frequent updates on our twitter (@PD101JP_SUBS), so please follow us there. The official trainee profiles were released by HQENM yesterday. Please find the attached link to our twitter thread with all of the translated profiles.</p><p>[LINK] </p><p>Is there anybody who stands out to you? We will be keeping an eye out on the trainees as well! Let’s look forward to the first episode which will air in another three weeks!</p><p> </p><p>[94 comments]<br/>
</p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>thirtyseconds · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>Hasn’t Ushijima Wakatoshi from STZ entertainment already debuted? He had a solo debut last year right?</p>
  <p>Reply</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>&gt; failsafe · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>I’ve seen his debut! he has such a nice voice and his dancing didn’t seem bad either. Maybe he’ll rank high!</p>
  <p>Reply</p>
</blockquote>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>onetwoseven · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>WOW INARI ENT IS SENDING TWINS?? THE TWO OF THEM ARE SO GOOD LOOKING!! WILL BE WATCHING OUT FOR THEM</p>
  <p>Reply</p>
</blockquote>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>SKZROOKIEKINGS · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>WAITTT BOKUTO AND KUROO WILL BOTH BE IN THIS SHOW?? AND THEY’RE FROM DIFFERENT COMPANIES??? MY GRIFFIN FEELS!!! I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE TWO OF THEM TO INTERACT I HOPE THEY DEBUT TOGETHER</p>
  <p>Reply</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>&gt; cyberin · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>what do you mean? do they know each other?</p>
  <p>Reply</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>&gt;&gt; SKZROOKIEKINGS · 38 minutes ago</p>
  <p>YES!!!!! they were both from this super popular dance crew called griffin in tokyo, but they disbanded two years ago! i guess the two of them both found entertainment companies to join and they’ll both be participating in this show</p>
  <p>Reply</p>
</blockquote><br/><div class="center">
  <p>⇅⇅⇅</p>
</div><b>PRODUCE 101 JAPAN 【宮 侑 (MIYA ATSUMU)】 | SELF INTRODUCTION</b><p>1,051,995 views · 6 Jun 2019</p><p>510k likes | 8k dislikes | Share</p><p> </p><p>[7013 Comments]</p><p> </p><p>foxsmile · 9 hours ago</p><p>isn’t this the center for the theme song? he’s really handsome! he has the potential to be my 1st pick</p><p>1.8k likes | reply</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>killingpart · 5 hours ago</p>
  <p>OH MY GOD i didn’t even notice that he was the center, thanks for pointing that out! he was so eyecatching in the theme song video!</p>
  <p>612 likes | reply</p>
</blockquote><br/><p><br/>
famousmove · 8 hours ago</p><p>This guy is my pick! I’ve been watching him ever since I saw him in the theme song video. Look at him dancing to Move by Taemin, he really does the dance well. </p><p>His vocals are so nice here! I wasn’t expecting him to suddenly showcase his dancing as well. Hopefully he’ll make the debut lineup!</p><p>1.6k likes | reply</p><p> </p><p>hajihajihajima · 6 hours ago</p><p>damn he has so many views, definitely a frontrunner right now</p><p>794 likes | reply</p><p> </p><p>lovemeright · 2 hours ago</p><p>he’s so handsome!!! and definitely an all-rounder!!! will be looking out for him in the first episode!!!</p><p>238 likes | reply</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>⇅⇅⇅</p>
</div>The theme song video airs before the self-introductions, but like everything else that came with the territory of being an idol, the timeline for actual filming was wonky and in short, a mess.<p>On the first day of filming, Atsumu hands over his phone to the staff, watching it go longingly. It won’t be the first thing he loses in this competition, but it still feels like shit to see it disappear into some sort of safe holding box.</p><p>Self-introductions. There were a few ways they could tackle this. Atsumu has watched every single self-introduction there is to date and knows there are only two ways one can succeed at this seemingly easy task. You either have to be very, very talented, or very, very funny to get clicks and likes and GIFs of your every move made in your honor.</p><p>Their company-approved image is for all of them to be talented. Like <em>talented</em> isn’t a blanket for days and months and years of sweating and bleeding in the practice rooms, like <em>talented</em> was something humans were just capable of being.</p><p>Atsumu smiles his best smile, the one that shows all his teeth and stretches from ear to ear. He barely remembers what his natural smile looks like. He’s been told that it makes him look too sly, too cunning, and fans don’t need their idols to be smart or to be thinkers, they just need them to be dazzling and glittering icons.</p><p>“I’m Miya Atsumu, twenty years old from Kobe, Hyogo.” Filler, this is all filler content. Only three things will define him from now on: class, rank, and company. Things like “my favourite food is fatty tuna” and “I’m 187.7cm” are just excuses to seem human until the finals. </p><p>They didn’t allow him to bring his own guitar, but they did manage to provide one per his request. Producing, composing, acting—these are all weapons in his arsenal, waiting to be unsheathed. </p><p>This guitar’s strings are too hard, and it hurts the pads of his fingers as he presses the notes. Atsumu strums and sings a little, just to showcase his voice. Dancers typically got the most attention, but there was nothing the public liked more than somebody who could do anything and everything an idol was expected to do.</p><p>He has twenty seconds left, so he cues the music and lets himself move to it, falling into the familiar routine. The best way to gain attention here was to do a cover of a popular idol’s song, so Atsumu picked the most popular Korean idol in Japan right now and learnt the latest song as fast as possible in preparation for this exact moment.</p><p>Five seconds on the clock, he bows, deep and low. He has a Kansai accent, which is supposedly endearing according to the management team, so he lays it on thick. “Dear national producers, my name is Miya Atsumu, please vote for me!”</p><p>Then the lights are off his face and they’re ushering Osamu in, setting up the electric piano Osamu was scripted to showcase. Atsumu knocks his fist against Osamu’s as they pass each other, the makeup artist fussing over Osamu’s brows.</p><p>They won’t meet any of the other trainees until tomorrow when the auditions begin, so Atsumu’s world remains Osamu and Suna and Kita until it has to accommodate whoever goes viral first. Atsumu leans on Osamu’s shoulder as they get ready, letting his brother run over his lines again.</p><p>This was a sort of stage too if Atsumu thought about it. This was something they all had to practice for, this minute worth of measly screentime. Atsumu spent eight hours learning the perfect intonation for “national producers”, watching the muscles of his face shift again and again in the mirror.</p><p>“They’re calling for me,” Osamu whispers. </p><p>Between the two of them, he reaches for Osamu’s hand to squeeze it lightly. “Knock ‘em dead.”</p><p>“Of course.” Osamu squeezes back, the pressure anchoring Atsumu to his humanity. Then he goes.</p><p>Atsumu straightens up, face set back into the perfect mask of an idol before leaving the studio. Tomorrow the real battle begins.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>⇅⇅⇅</p>
</div><p>
  <b>PRODUCE 101 JAPAN “FLY HIGH!!” Performance Video</b>
</p><p>8,374,194 views · 6 Jun 2019</p><p>1.4M likes | 29K dislikes | Share</p><p> </p><p>[20145 Comments]</p><p> </p><p>silverhours · 4 hours ago</p><p>damn!! there are so many visuals this year, especially the guy at 02:38 and 04:05</p><p>2.7k likes | reply</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>crowningglory · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>the guy at 02:38 is akaashi keiji from FKR! he’s one of my top picks!!!!!! i think the guy at 04:05 is kuguri naoyasa from nohebi, he was a model before the show!!</p>
  <p>1.3k likes | reply</p>
</blockquote><br/><p><br/>
iamthelian · 2 hours ago</p><p>I CAN’T BELIEVE MIYA ATSUMU IS THE CENTER!! MY 1ST PICK!! PLEASE VOTE FOR HIM!! HE’S SUCH AN ALL ROUNDER AND HE’S IN A CLASS TOO!!!</p><p>2.4k likes | reply</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>professxr · 1 hours ago</p>
  <p>I wonder how he became the center? His twin and the rest of his company seems to be in B grade, so he must have either gotten re-evaluated to A or shocked the judges at the auditions?</p>
  <p>103 likes | reply</p>
</blockquote><br/><p><br/>
thunderingeve · 27 minutes ago</p><p>WHO IS THE GUY AT 3:20?? HE’S DROP DEAD GORGEOUS!!!!</p><p>327 likes | reply</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>wiselychosen · 4 minutes ago</p>
  <p>Based on the profiles, that’s Sakusa Kiyoomi! His visuals are out of his world and he rapped and danced in his introduction video, I really like him!</p>
  <p>9 likes | reply</p>
</blockquote><p><br/>
Carolyn L · 13 minutes ago</p><p>I feel so bad for the F class trainees, but seeing the those two trainees who are as tall as towers flank the rest of the class gave me a good laugh ngl</p><p>107 likes | reply<br/>
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>⇅⇅⇅</p>
</div>“Stay together,” Kita warns them as they head up the stairs. They’re one of the last companies to enter, perks of being from a big company. The flash of the INARI logo on the big screen is enough to get the other trainees talking, but it’s their self-predicted ranks which flash up on the screen that leads to a frantic burst of hushed whispers.<p>Kita Shinsuke, predicted rank: 8th. Suna Rintarou, predicted rank: 10th. Miya Osamu, predicted rank: 3rd. </p><p>Miya Atsumu, predicted rank: 1st. </p><p>Sitting at the top of the pyramid, there’s this guy with the brightest shock of white hair he’s ever seen peering down at them. Atsumu recognises him as Hoshiumi Kourai from his profile. They have the right to challenge the person sitting in 1st place for the seat, but Atsumu lets himself be ushered to rankings 12-16, sitting in a row with his labelmates.</p><p>Kita’s chosen good seats, he notes. With their limited choices, it will look like they picked the highest rankings with four seats in a row available, but their seats have the added bonus of being near the middle of the top half of the pyramid, which means they’ll be center-focus in every reaction shot. </p><p>Atsumu keeps an eye out, glancing at all the other trainees without making it look too obvious. The company had briefed them on all the trainees who already have a following, people to be wary of. </p><p>He knows that two rows above him sitting in second is Bokuto Koutarou, a street dancer from a popular dance crew. His labelmate, Akaashi Keiji, perches in 3rd, his face already enough to make him trend six different times on twitter.</p><p>Ushijima Wakatoshi is here, sitting with all five of his labelmates from 35-40. Kiryuu Wakatsu was sitting in 24th, the trademark buzz-cut of his sticking out like a sore thumb. From his seat, Atsumu can spot Kageyama Tobio, the child actor, sitting all the way down in the 60s, talking to somebody with orange hair.</p><p>There are only two or three companies slated to enter after them, most of the pyramid filled. Two seats are available to Atsumu left, with Suna flanking his right. </p><p>They always walk and sit that way, in the pattern of Osamu, Kita, Suna, Atsumu. The company had organised them like a messy game of Tetris, trying to figure out the formation that would hide their height difference the best. This way he and Osamu had some distance between them as well, so their similar faces could stand out a bit more.</p><p>The next company is announced. There are only a few companies that deliver more shock value than INARI, so Atsumu isn’t surprised to see the black weasel of ITACHI Entertainment pop up. Komori Motoya walks in, Sakusa Kiyoomi following him sullenly. </p><p>Atsumu knows these trainees, both of them have been on the list of people most likely to debut the management team had drilled into their head. Their self-predicted ranks pop on the screen, the picture of Komori smiling sunnily towards the camera sliding above his chosen rank of 5th. Sakusa’s picture flashes next to him, right above his predicted 2nd.</p><p>The trainees below begin talking again. From his spot, Atsumu can see Suna hiding his smile. Two famous companies in a row not having a single self-predicted rank lower than 11th—the cutoff for debuting. The hilarity of the situation isn’t lost on him.</p><p>See, the thing is: Atsumu <em>knows</em> Sakusa, if knowing could be defined in the idol way, the way that meant they’d briefly interacted once in their lives. They’d both attended the same dancing competition up in Tokyo two years ago, though they participated in different parts of dance. </p><p>They’d both won their respective category, Atsumu in hip hop and Sakusa in contemporary dance, so they were both invited to the winner’s banquet afterward. They’d barely spoken, but they’d sat next to each other according to the seating arrangement and exchanged polite congratulations. </p><p>It’s been two years, but Sakusa Kiyoomi looks exactly the way he did two years ago: tall, impassive, and drop-dead gorgeous. Despite himself, Atsumu is curious.</p><p>Sakusa leads Komori up the stairs, stopping on the row below Atsumu’s. There are two open seats at the end and Komori takes the seat on the inside, leaving Sakusa to sit at the edge, fiddling with his mask.</p><p>The lights dim for the next company to enter and Atsumu faces forward once more, his gaze passing over the dark mop of curls to look back at the screen. He shouldn’t overthink, but there are two empty seats to Atsumu’s left which had better camera access and Sakusa still chose the awkward corner seat that meant he wouldn’t have to sit next to anybody else. This is something Atsumu remembers about Sakusa as well, his natural disdain for anything and anyone. </p><p>How interesting. Sakusa had the face of an idol, but he still managed to retain some sort of individuality and humanity. Atsumu is almost jealous of him.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>⇅⇅⇅</p>
</div>TAG: PD101JP · posted by JAPAN101 <em>2 hours ago</em><p>
  <b>PRODUCE 101 JAPAN EPISODE 1 - DISCUSSION</b>
</p><p>Welcome to the discussion thread for the first episode of Produce 101 Japan! Content that spoils the next episodes needs to be spoiler tagged, otherwise, go wild!</p><p> </p><p>[248 comments]</p><p><br/>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Crestfallen · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>I didn’t expect the trainees to be so talented!! I personally really enjoyed Neko Ent’s performance even if Lev is clearly very new. Kuroo’s freestyle to wiggle was iconic and I can’t believe it wasn’t good enough to get him to A. KRSN’s Kageyama should have been an A as well in my opinion, he blew it out of the water when they asked him to freestyle! Sucks that the rest of his company seems to have dragged him down a little, even if I do find Hinata really cute.</p>
  <p>Looking forward to Inari and Itachi’s performances next week, as well as STZ! There are lots of rumors that those three companies have produced a lot of A ranked trainees.</p>
  <p>Reply</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>&gt; Kaoki · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>I was really surprised they didn’t give Kuroo A as well, he was clearly capable of one! His dance to wiggle is already going insanely viral, so hopefully his ranking will rise because of that! His friendship with Bokuto was so cute too, I’m also really looking forward to seeing FKR’s audition next week. All of them seem to be really strong trainees! Hoshiumi Kourai being the first A to be announced was so surprising too, he has so much power in that body of his.</p>
  <p>Reply</p>
</blockquote>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>meianshugoking · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>FINALLY THERE’S MORE CONTENT OF MEIAN AFTER THE DROUGHT!! HE WAS SO NICE TO THE TRAINEES AND OFFERED SO MUCH GREAT ADVICE AHHHHHHHH</p>
  <p>Reply</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>&gt; be_meian · 29 minutes ago</p>
  <p>They really have such a good roster of coaches this year!! Meian is obviously the standout, but getting Nicholas Romero for dance coach?? I think I'm gonna die at all the Meian and Romero interactions!! </p>
  <p>Reply</p>
</blockquote>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>sidestepping · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>the guy from jzj was so interesting even if he only got C! His smile really moved me and i couldn’t help smiling as well. </p>
  <p>Reply</p>
</blockquote>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>dxzzling · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>The previews showing the INARI trainees seems so promising! I really like Kita from his self-introduction and Miya Atsumu is the center for the theme song, so I’m anticipating what they have to offer!</p>
  <p>Reply</p>
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</div><p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 28 minutes ago</p><p>OHHHH MY GOD ATSUMU MIYA AND SAKUSA KIYOOMI???? THEY WANT ME DEAD I HOPE THAT THEY INTERACT IN THE FUTURE AHHHHH PLEASE BE FRIENDS??? MY TOP PICKS!!! </p><p> </p><p><b>Ushijima’s toe sucker</b> @nightbrights · 12 minutes ago</p><p>when Ushijima walked in,,, i knew he was THAT BITCH for me </p><p> </p><p><b>isa</b> @kenmacarena · 6 minutes ago</p><p>KENMA CHOOSING NOT TO SHOWCASE ANYTHING WHEN THE JUDGES ASKED IS SO FUNNY LMAO GO KING GIVE US NOTHING!!! </p><p> </p><p><b>BOKUTO BEAM</b> @hootarous · 9 minutes ago</p><p>bokuto koutarou??? becoming my first pick even before he’s sung a single word? more likely than you think!!</p>
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</div>On stage, Atsumu smiles at the judges after their performance. The judges flip through the pages of their profile which could say anything from their date of birth to how much their company has paid for their screentime. After some deliberation from them, he gets asked to do a freestyle and resolutely doesn’t think about <em>we can only afford for one of you to debut</em>.<p>Five years have ingrained dance into his muscles, his body. Some sort of western pop song comes up and Atsumu drops to action, including in his best smirk and an air ukelele in there for the sake of it, drinking in the cheers and claps from the other trainees. There is a burst of activity from the judges table, notes being passed around like this is some high school classroom.</p><p>“We noticed that your predicted rank for yourself was 1st,” Ukai Keishin asks him after his performance. Atsumu’s seen his face before on national TV, but he’d never thought he’d ever get the change to interact with the man who hosted Japan’s most famous Saturday Night’s 8pm talk show in his life. “Do you think you have the confidence to achieve this rank?”</p><p>This is a trick question, one Atsumu can spot from miles away. He breathes heavily, faking an exhaustion he doesn’t really feel. He takes the time to run a hand through his hair just for a few extra seconds on screen before smiling, the smile of a natural-born star and not one that took three months to carve into his features.</p><p>He drawls to give extra emphasis to his accent. Osamu hated their natural accent, but Atsumu thinks of it like a particularly sharp knife he knows like the back of his hand, ready to be drawn at any given moment. “It’s not that I’m confident that I’ll get first.”</p><p>That is a lie. Nobody comes onto this show and debuts without really believing in it, and God, does Atsumu believe in it. Off to the side, Kita shoots him a little glance in what even might be amusement.</p><p>“It’s more like…” he trails off, eyes darting to the side as if in apprehension. “I want to have the confidence to debut, to become center. How can I expect others to believe in me if I don’t believe in myself?”</p><p>Textbook answer, but the judges award him with a polite round of applause anyway. It feels like a win nonetheless.</p><p>“Good answer,” somebody comments. Atsumu’s sure anybody with a decent company in this room would have answered the same, but he nods seriously for the camera anyways. “That’s the spirit we should all have.”</p><p>Offstage, Atsumu grins half-real as the woman manning the booth hands him his corresponding rank sticker, A for Atsumu.</p><p>Suna cuffs him on the shoulder as he takes his own B sticker. Osamu and Kita follow suit, Kita fussing over the proper placement of the sticker in the waiting room. Atsumu can spot the camera in the corner, so he smiles and it even feels genuine. “I’ll see you guys at A soon, yeah?”</p><p>“Of course. You need somebody to keep you in line.” Osamu’s eyes flicker between his face and the A on his shirt, meticulously stuck on straight by Kita. </p><p>Atsumu whines as they leave to go back to the main room to watch the other auditions. In the afternoon they settle into the dorms, rooms of four that perfectly segment them off from the rest of the world. One pink sweater in the midst of three blue ones, Atsumu flashes the camera the good luck trinkets his mother had given him and Osamu, the items with just enough sentimentality to give him a few extra seconds of camera time.</p><p>Atsumu will never admit it, but he’s glad that it’s the four of them. He takes the bottom bunk on the right side, if just to avoid sleeping directly underneath the ceiling camera. Osamu grumbles as he takes the top bunk, but he does take the bunk without question instead of fighting for the other bottom slot, silently complying with Atsumu’s wish to keep their sleeping arrangements the same as their room in the company’s dorm. </p><p>Midnight. Atsumu likes to sleep on his back, but for tonight he lies on his side so the cameras can’t catch his open eyes. Carefully, he builds a home in the meter between the two bunk beds in the room, between the soft sounds of Suna’s snoring and the neatly sorted wardrobe next to Kita’s bed and the suitcase still lying open on the floor. It is a vulnerability he’ll allow himself now, a reminder that he’s still human at the end of the day.</p><p>The sun peeks out above the horizon six hours later just like it did the day before and the day before that. Like clockwork, Atsumu rises with it.</p>
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</div><b>[TRENDING] OUR TOP FIVE MOMENTS FROM PRODUCE 101 JAPAN EPISODE ONE</b><p>
  <em>Posted June 22nd, 2019</em>
</p><p>Have you been catching up with the newest season of Produce 101? The new season in Japan just kicked off its first episode this weekend, and moments from the show are already going viral on the internet! Here is a compilation of our top 5 favourite moments in the first episode!</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>5. Hoshiumi Kourai taking center seat</b>
</p><p>Our jaws all dropped with KMD Entertainment trainee Hoshiumi Kourai fearlessly strode to the top of the pyramid during their entrance! Flanked by his two teammates who took comfortable spots at 24 and 25, Hoshiumi chose to go to the top of the pyramid alone. He remained unchallenged for the rest of the seating, something he looked very pleased by! We hope Hoshiumi-kun will be able to retain his confidence through the show, especially after his stunning audition act that earned him the first A of the season!</p><p>
  <b>4. Hinata Shouyou stumbling over his introduction</b>
</p><p>Is there anything more precious than Hinata Shouyou? The ball of sunshine stole the show when he mispronounced his own name during KRSN Entertainment’s introduction, something his teammate Kageyama Tobio gave him a lot of flack for after their auditioning act was done. His nervous giggle was just so cute and fans have already been making gifs of the moment. Although Hinata-kun seems a little shaky in his skills, as he was ranked D afterward, we look forward to seeing his growth and improvement as he promises to do so!</p><p>
  <b>3. STZ Entertainment’s entrance</b>
</p><p>STZ Entertainment has really outdone themselves! A whopping six trainees of theirs have made it through the audition round, and they showed that they didn’t come to play! Seeing Ushijima Wakatoshi, who made a solo debut last year, be the leader of this group was heartwarming as we’ve never really seen this side of Ushijima-kun yet. From the synchronised way they entered and bowed to the familiarity they chanted their slogan with, we’re fully prepared to see their performance on next week’s episode! </p><p>
  <b>2. INARI and ITACHI Entertainment’s subtle rivalry</b>
</p><p>Let’s be honest, we’ve all heard of these two entertainment companies before. The four trainees from INARI entertainment and the two from ITACHI entertainment entered back to back and kicked up a storm of whispers as none of them had ranked themselves beneath the debuting cut-off rank. Their performances will both be shown next week, but from the previews, it seems that we’ll be getting a few more As to join the ranks of Hoshiumi and Kiryuu. Is this a rivalry in the making? We’re certainly excited to find out!</p><p>
  <b>1. Kozume Kenma denying the judges, Kuroo Tetsurou’s iconic dance</b>
</p><p>Perhaps the funniest moment in the whole episode was when the judges asked Kozume if he had anything more to show, to which he flatly said no! He did pass the opportunity off to Kuroo Tetsurou, who gave an electrifying freestyle to Wiggle by Jason Derulo. The dance has since garnered a lot of attention on social media, and we’re so excited to see what Kuroo has to offer next. We’ve grouped the two moments together as the NEKO entertainment trainees seemed very close, but this was definitely the highlight of the episode!</p><p> </p><p>And that’s our list? What do you think? Do you agree with our list, or were there more moments that caught your attention? Who is the trainee you’ll be voting for? Feel free to tell us in the comments!</p><p>[Tags: Produce 101, Produce 101 Japan, Hoshiumi Kourai, Hinata Shouyou, Ushijima Wakatoshi, Kozume Kenma, Kuroo Tetsurou]</p>
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</div>Perhaps the high school metaphor wasn’t entirely wrong, because it takes approximately half an hour for everybody to settle into cliques.<p>Atsumu’s never been very good at making friends. Even back in actual high school, he’d always hung around Osamu and Suna and Ginjima, trainees from some company who lived and breathed the same routine as him. </p><p>Wake up, the shrill noise of the alarm clock dragging them from the warm comfort of their beds at six in the morning. Practice for exactly an hour and eighteen minutes to leave twelve for washing up and cleaning the practice room. School for the next eight hours, except it’s really more like seven hours and five minutes, because the fifty-five minutes that made up lunch was dedicated to practice as well.</p><p>Back to the company. Vocal lessons, dancing lessons, acting lessons, language lessons, more dancing lessons. Dinner is a quiet affair, letting the air-con dry the sweat on their bodies as they eat the cheapest takeout possible from the convenience store around the corner. Free time after dinner, which is just to say another three-four-five-six hours of practice. Take a shower in the bathrooms as silently as possible so you don’t wake anybody up, sleep for however many hours between then and the alarm at six.</p><p>Dancing and singing and rapping and dancing in a vicious cycle around the clock, chasing away your days and months and years. Atsumu isn’t religious, can’t afford to be, but the same schedule he’s lived by for the past five years is as close as it gets to his personal bible. He has seniority within the company even if he’s not the oldest by a longshot, five years outpacing Suna’s three and Ginjima’s two and even Kita’s four, but what does it mean if he can’t debut?</p><p>So he does as the company says, he plays nice. There are fifteen members of A-class, so Atsumu takes his pick from a feast of trainees. Bokuto is hard to hate and wears his heart on his sleeve. Atsumu feigns not knowing a step in the chorus of the theme song on the first day and Bokuto accepts him without question. With Bokuto comes Hoshiumi and Kiryuu and begrudgingly Ushijima, and Atsumu sticks as close as possible.</p><p>There were ways to get more screentime even beyond how much your company had in their wallet. It helps that Bokuto is actually likable, so Atsumu doesn’t feel as guilty as he should as he laughs and makes jokes with the older trainee. Komori is another easy ally to make, his face open and welcoming when Atsumu approaches him on the second day.</p><p>Proximity to Komori means proximity to Sakusa, who follows after Komori like a dark cloud cutting its path across the otherwise clear sky. Describing Sakusa as a hurricane wouldn’t be the least apt metaphor, considering the way he takes to the dance for the theme song within hours, blazing through each move with precision and deadly force. Atsumu makes half-hearted efforts to talk to him just in case any of those moments get aired.</p><p>Three days to learn all the lyrics and choreography for the song, it takes Atsumu no more than six hours and forty-seven minutes to commit everything there is to know about FLY HIGH!! to memory. By the time the first mentor class rolls around twenty-four hours later, Atsumu doesn’t just have the choreography down to every single beat, he can sing the entire song on top of it without having to catch his breath. </p><p>He knows everything he has to fix, but he nods like he’s learning some new divine secret when Takeda Ittetsu, who had dropped the most soulful ballad of the last century six months ago, tells him that he needs to work on his intonation. He practices until his legs start to burn at night, then steals one of the smaller practice rooms for himself and spends the next two hours reciting the lyrics to FLY HIGH!! with a pen clamped between his lips.</p><p>Takeda says his intonation is much better eleven hours later in their second mentor lesson. Atsumu smiles like his mouth isn’t hurting from those two hours spent on nothing but intonation and flashes all his pearly whites for the world to see.</p><p>Re-evaluations come. It takes Atsumu four hours to perfect his wink towards the camera during the ending pose, but it’s almost second nature at this point to go through all the motions for FLY HIGH!!, his voice bursting out in a confident, sure tone. He nails the ending wink.</p><p>The other trainees clap for him after he’s done, and then it’s Sakusa’s turn. He watches Sakusa plow through the movements like a machine with a vengeance, each move sharp and with intention. His voice is rough but strong, nothing like the chicken squawk he’d produced two days ago during classes because he was a rapper and not a vocalist. Atsumu applauds with the other trainees after Sakusa bows and doesn’t mention that he saw Sakusa in the practice room next to him for the two hours' worth of intonation, the same pen clamped in his mouth.</p><p>Just learning the dance and the song was the bare minimum. To add individuality and something unique enough the audience would remember you within three days was the sort of miracle idols were expected to perform. When they announce their results and Atsumu stares down at Osamu and Suna and Kita, all still in B, he holds his head up high as he goes to receive his A once more.</p><p>There’s some shift in structure, the fall of the empire inevitable. Half of the A-class falls to lower grades, and new faces rise to the occasion. Kageyama Tobio makes it to A, his face breaking out into a secret smile as he reaches the top step. Atsumu pats him on the back as he passes by in his blue sweatshirt. </p><p>The monsters are properly emerging now, settling at the top of the pack. Hoshiumi, A. Ushijima, A. Kiryuu, A. Bokuto, A. Komori, A. Sakusa, A. Bokuto shouts an excited “hey! hey! hey!” as he comes back up to the rafters, his rallying cry already going viral across the nation. Atsumu decides right then and there that Bokuto is going to make the debut lineup and vows to stay even closer in the future.</p><p>Monsters of skill might settle at the peak of the pyramid, but there were monsters of other kinds lurking under the surface. Goshiki Tsutomu from STZ making it to B with tears in his eyes after four whole minutes of him crying in the practice room at 3 in the morning makes the cut for episode 2. Hinata Shouyou in D has the nation fawning over his every single move, even the mistakes. Iwaizumi Hajime taking a leadership role in class B and getting comment after comment worth of praise for it.</p><p>They are monsters too, people who know how to work a camera within the given timeframe. But they shouldn’t forget that Atsumu was a monster in his own right. There are opportunities to take and Atsumu is ready to take all of them no matter what he has to do.</p><p>He wins center position for the theme song, edging out Hoshiumi for the glorious spot that was the high rise stage in the defining video for this whole show. His real-time searches trend 3 days in a row after the video for FLY HIGH!! drops and his rank jumps from an abysmal 12th to 3rd overnight.</p><p>It is very hard for idols to win anything, but Atsumu basks in this victory without shame. He can take what he gets.</p>
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</div><p>TAG: PD101JP · posted by JAPAN101 <em>1 hour ago</em></p><p>
  <b>PRODUCE 101 JAPAN EPISODE 2 - DISCUSSION</b>
</p><p>Welcome to the discussion thread for the second episode of Produce 101 Japan! How was this week’s episode for you after all the trainees were given ranks? Content that spoils the next episodes needs to be spoiler tagged, otherwise, go wild!</p><p> </p><p>[147 comments]</p><p><br/>
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  <p>impzura · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>WOW THE ITACHI TRAINEES ARE BOTH SO TALENTED? THEY WERE THE ONLY GROUP TO BOTH GET A!! I’m definitely voting for Sakusa Kiyoomi in the future. He’s so quiet but he does have his funny moments, like when his voice broke in the middle of the class and he seemed so mortified. Komori Motoya seems so cute as well! Let’s go, ITACHI trainees!</p>
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  <p>&gt; itdobelikethat · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>SAKUSA IS SO CUTE I AGREE!! I can’t believe how embarrassed he was after his accident. Bokuto was trying really hard not to laugh, I could tell! I’m really looking forward to the group battles next week, can’t wait to see which song they’ll perform!</p>
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  <p>Crestfallen · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>Another week filled with talented trainees! I’m coming back to say that my expectations for INARI and ITACHI were completely blown out of the water. Atsumu Miya’s freestyle is probably my favourite of the whole audition process (besides Kuroo’s iconic wiggle dance of course). The Itachi trainees were just fantastic, I can’t believe both of them got A without even having to showcase anything more!</p>
  <p>It’s nice to see the lot of STZ trainees settling into higher ranks. Goshiki crying REALLY moved me, hopefully he’ll make a higher class next week! I do have to say that the Nohebi trainees really surprised me as well, their teamwork was fantastic!</p>
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  <p>&gt; Oatbar · 38 minutes ago</p>
  <p>Atsumu and Bokuto’s friendship seems really cute too! Bokuto is just the human embodiment of niceness, how he helped Atsumu so quickly after he asked made it so clear! Hope to see more of those two in the future! Seeing Atsumu trying to make friends with Sakusa was so funny too, he just kept asking if Sakusa wanted to practice together and Sakusa just kept shutting him down.</p>
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  <p>MOAX · 57 minutes ago</p>
  <p>I really like the FKR trainees, even if most of the spotlight seems to be on Akaashi and Bokuto right now. I hope Konoha and Washio get more screentime in the future!</p>
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  <p>NakiNyan · 29 minutes ago</p>
  <p>Why did they put Oikawa in B? He really should have been an A in my opinion. Iwaizumi as well. The judges were so harsh to the ABJS trainees.</p>
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  <p>&gt; ponponpon · 3 minutes ago</p>
  <p>i mean, if you look at the other trainees in A that isn’t so surprising. Osamu Miya couldn’t make A even though his twin did and I think they were on pretty similar levels, just that Atsumu was more expressive on stage. Oikawa seemed a little stiff during his performance, and i honestly just think Iwaizumi isn’t as good as say, Sakusa Kiyoomi. </p>
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  <p>ImagineNow · 8 minutes ago</p>
  <p>Akaashi Keiji is SO pretty holy fuck. He’s definitely my visual center for this season! Not even the Korean seasons have produced a beauty like him!! </p>
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</div><b>PRODUCE101 JAPAN | HIDDEN BOX MISSION | 【宮 侑 (MIYA ATSUMU) &amp; 佐久早 聖臣 (SAKUSA KIYOOMI)】</b><p>1,315,107 views · 30 Jun 2019</p><p>583K likes | 12K dislikes | Share</p><p> </p><p>[9883 Comments]</p><p> </p><p>Astiz · 3 hours ago</p><p>HAHAHA WHOSE GENIUS IDEA WAS IT TO PUT THESE TWO TOGETHER? SAKUSA STRAIGHT UP REFUSING TO PUT HIS HAND INSIDE THE BOX AND ATSUMU JUST PLUNGING HIS HAND STRAIGHT INTO THE BOWL OF MUDFISH</p><p>1.4k likes | reply</p>
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  <p>dramaramama · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>I SCREAMED WHEN ATSUMU SCREECHED ONCE THE MUDFISH STARTED CRAWLING OVER HIS HAND LOLLLLLLL WHAT DOES HE HAVE TO BE SO FUNNY FOR</p>
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</blockquote><p> </p><p>serenityblue · 2 hours ago</p><p>oh my god who chose these two for this mission? I thought Atsumu would be with Bokuto or something, but this was so funny! Sakusa looking on in disgust once Atsumu yelled out the answer and Atsumu taking ten seconds of his time to gloat about it to Sakusa was so funny. I lost it when Atsumu started to dance with the mudfish still on his hand!!!!</p><p>1.9k likes | reply</p><p> </p><p>ventifrappe · 27 minutes ago</p><p>I know this is about promoting themselves, but can we take a moment to appreciate how good they look next to each other! I heard they’re in the same group for the group battles, so we’ll see more of them then!</p><p>998 likes | reply</p>
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  <p>iamthebadguy · 1 hours ago</p>
  <p>ATSUMU AND SAKUSA IN THE SAME GROUP?? IT SOUNDS LIKE A RECIPE FOR DISASTER LMAO</p>
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</blockquote><p> </p><p>J F R · 13 minutes ago</p><p>LOL SAKUSA LOOKS SO DISGRUNTLED he didn’t even try to touch the item. He stuck his hand barely inside the box and retreated once Atsumu screamed, why is he like this?</p><p>102 likes | reply</p>
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</div><b>Produce 101 Japan Subs</b> @PD101JP_SUBS · 2 hours ago<p>[RUMOR] These are the songs people have been saying they performed for the group battles! More rumors below.</p><p>1. Coming Over - Exo<br/>
2. Instagram - Dean<br/>
3. One of One - SHINee<br/>
4. Chain - NCT 127<br/>
5. Fireworks - DAOKO<br/>
6. Nekojarashi - Radwimps<br/>
7. Wake up - AAA<br/>
8. Turning Up - Arashi</p>
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  <p>&gt; <b>Produce 101 Japan Subs</b> @PD101JP_SUBS · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>We haven’t gotten too many spoilers about who will be performing each one, but an account says Bokuto Koutarou will be performing Coming Over, and another says Kageyama Tobio is in Fireworks!</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 1 hour ago</p><p>YOU’RE KIDDING ME RIGHT???? ATSUMU AND NCT???? NO WAYYY IF HE CHOOSES CHAIN I’M GOING TO COMBUST!!!!</p><p> </p><p><b>Annie wants Kuroo to debut</b> @kuronekos · 6 minutes ago</p><p>god if you’re out there give me Kuroo in one of one. he’d body that shit i just KNOW it</p><p> </p><p><b>stan kawanishi losers</b> @exocults · 2 minutes ago</p><p>kawanishi,,, please consider coming over,, it would make my day,,, thx</p><p> </p><p><b>J</b> @5forone · 54 minutes ago</p><p>am i the only one super excited for the radwimps group? I feel like they’d do a really good job!</p>
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</div>“Bokkun’s gonna debut,” he tells Osamu in the washroom as they brush their teeth for filming that day.<p>Osamu glances at him, bending down to spit out his mouthful of water into the sink. “That’s why ya always next to him?”</p><p>Atsumu wipes at his face with heavy-duty oil removal paper, careful not to irritate the skin too much. There are no cameras here, but he lets his voice become quieter as he answers anyways, “Nah, I just like him.”</p><p>“What about Sakusa?” Osamu asks the golden question before tipping his head back to gargle a cap of peppermint mouthwash. The sound of the bubbling liquid fills the room as Atsumu leans forward to dab foundation exactly two shades lighter than his skin tone onto his face.</p><p>“Sakusa?” Atsumu smears the paste evenly, hiding his eyebags. The stylists and make-up artists will do the rest for him, turn him back into a dazzling star in the preparation room later. “There’s a reason both of our ratings shoot up once we’re next to each other.”</p><p>Nothing but the sound of Osamu’s mouthwash fills the room for the rest of their allotted timeslot in the bathroom, but Osamu catches his forearm before they’re due for breakfast. His eyes say <em>be careful</em>.</p><p>Atsumu doesn’t have much to lose, but he does have Osamu. He’s more vulnerable than any other trainee in this damn show just because he has Osamu to lose. Other trainees lost friends as the competition got smaller with each elimination round, but for Atsumu, losing Osamu was like losing a fundamental part of himself.</p><p>Atsumu doesn’t give his brother a response, but he taps the side of Osamu’s waist warmly anyways in an echo of <em>I will</em>.</p><p>Becoming the center of FLY HIGH!! had its perks. They line up in the auditorium and Atsumu gets to stand front and center, his A plastered to his pink sweatshirt. Four different cameras are focused on him and he makes sure the main one captures the nice side of his face.</p><p>The rules for this round are simple. Two groups of six to seven will form and perform the same song while the audience gets to vote for a trainee of their choice between the two groups. Whichever group got the most overall votes will win some points for their overall ranking. </p><p>As center, Atsumu becomes the easiest target in the room, a king atop a shaky throne on the verge of crumbling. He gets to pick whatever song he wants out of the eight available, a trap wearing the clothes of a blessing. </p><p>He recognises a lot of the choices, K-Pop songs that play around the most crowded parts of the city in the summer. Despite their mission to produce a group for the “Japanese audience”, Atsumu can’t help but notice that the show had to resort to using a slew of Korean songs anyways. It’s a little funny if he thinks about it, so he picks one just to spite the audience.</p><p>NCT 127’s Chain. It’s a song he knows almost all the choreography for, the sharp movements a perfect match to his style of dance. They’ll be expecting him to show more in the future, but just putting his dance on the display should be enough for now. </p><p>Ukai tells him he can pick his team to the groans of the remaining trainees, no doubt assuming he’ll gun straight for one of the popular batch. It’s the obvious move, but Atsumu likens himself to a fox, waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce. </p><p>“The first trainee I’m going to pick is somebody who I know will work hard,” Atsumu starts with, grinning as Bokuto puffs out his chest in preparation. Bokuto’s cute, but the curve for Atsumu’s ratings online are so entangled with Sakusa’s they might as well be the same line at this point, so there’s only one real choice to make.</p><p>“I think he’ll suit the feeling of the song too,” Atsumu babbles more time-consuming bullshit. “I’ll pick Sakusa.”</p><p>Bokuto’s shoulders deflate and Atsumu gives him a small pout in apology to placate him. Sakusa heads out of the pack to stand by Atsumu’s side, his eyes dark and questioning. Atsumu looks at him, at the way his nose sits high on his face and the two moles above his right eyebrow and how his curls fall across his face. He cautions himself to remember that he is doing this for the ratings.</p><p>“Is there a special reason you picked Sakusa-kun?” Ukai prompts, fishing for more drama. He’s an expert at this, creating something out of nothing, something Atsumu can appreciate and almost even admire.</p><p>“Ah well…” he trails off, making a show out of turning around to gesture at Sakusa. “We were both in A-class, so I know he’ll give his all for the song because he tried so hard when we were practicing for the theme song.”</p><p>He pauses but doesn’t hand the mic off to the production crew on standby, an indication that he’s not done taking. Sakusa is a solid presence behind him, standing on the step giving him even more height difference on Atsumu.</p><p>“I really want to become better friends with him,” Atsumu says like he and Sakusa are friends, which they are not. “So I wanted to take the chance to work with him.”</p><p>There’s some nodding from the trainees and Atsumu already knows that this moment will leave the two of them trending again. Sakusa owes him a favor for this one. He should start a tally, 1-0 in favor of Atsumu. </p><p>“Sakusa-kun? How do you feel about being picked by Atsumu-kun?” Ukai asks. This is a luxury only companies like INARI and ITACHI can afford, the right for their trainees to be constantly called on.</p><p>Atsumu doesn’t turn around to look at Sakusa, but he does hand him the mic after wiping it briefly on the sleeve of his sweater to get rid of the icky sweat he knows Sakusa will hate.</p><p>“I really wanted to perform this song, so I guess I’ll have to thank Atsumu-san for that.” Sakusa’s voice rings out behind him, deep and lilting. “I know him from A class and I think we’ll work well together, so I’m looking forward to the results of this stage as well.”</p><p>How diplomatic of him. Ukai cues him to pick his next groupmate and the room turns quiet in anticipation once more. Sakusa is a bigshot and Atsumu picked him without question, so it’s an easy assumption to make that he’ll pick another A.</p><p>This is a game of chess Atsumu knows how to play well. Sakusa is popular enough to give the group the boost they needed in order to be frontrunners, but any more monsters in this group and they’ll tear each other to shreds. Atsumu is relying on Sakusa to raise his ratings and not much else, so he’s not expecting it when Sakusa leans down to whisper in his ear.</p><p>He suppresses a shiver as Sakusa’s words blow hot air next to his ear. The cameras are on them, the scoreboard now at Sakusa 1, Atsumu 1, game on. Sakusa’s voice is a quiet, heavy thing that speaks volumes when he says nothing but “Hirugami in B, Kuguri in C.”</p><p>He repeats Sakusa’s choices out loud, feeling vaguely dazed. Meeting Osamu’s alarmed gaze is a bucket of cold water, so he wakes up in time to ask for Teradomari, class C. He rounds up his choices with two more trainees who he knows will be able to keep up with the dance and otherwise won’t be much more than fodder.</p><p>It’s not a bad group, this ragtag team of trainees Sakusa’s helped him put together, he has to admit once they scatter to practice. They’re all around the same height range, so nobody sticks out like a sore thumb. Everybody Sakusa mentioned is also decent at what they do, be it singing or rapping or dancing.</p><p>There are many different ways to be seen and Atsumu has to make sure he’s seen in all the best ones. This is why Atsumu volunteers for the leader rather than the center, citing his previous opportunity of being center was an honor, but he wanted to give others a chance to shine as well and nominates Sakusa in his stead.</p><p>Sakusa’s eyes tell him that he knows Atsumu is lying, blatantly so, but he accepts the position anyways. Atsumu gets to pin the shiny center badge on him, chest to chest in Sakusa’s personal space while Sakusa tries very hard to hold still and not flinch back. Their ratings shoot up in tandem once more.</p><p>It’s almost a little painful to watch, the human way Sakusa conducts himself. Atsumu doesn’t think he’s ever seen anybody so committed to the idea of being clean, but Sakusa does his job and learns the dance faster than anybody else so Atsumu doesn’t even have it in him to complain when Sakusa runs off to the showers every day before dinner. </p><p>It’s understandable, he thinks, when Sakusa always comes slinking back to the practice rooms at nine with fresh clothes and the industrial smell of soap clinging to him. Sakusa was right when he said they’d work well together. They work almost too well together, Atsumu filling in the gaps of Sakusa’s wobbly vocals and Sakusa teaching Atsumu the most efficient way to learn a new facial expression in the mirrors. </p><p>Bokuto’s built himself a team of the best trainees, but he’s had the unfortunate situation of going up against another team of equally monstrous members. All Atsumu’s group has to do is trample team B, the group they’re facing off against, and it’s so easy the way the pieces all fall into place.</p><p>Samson Foster praises them in vocal class, his voice coming out in a smooth rendition of the track. Banjo Suzaku lathers praise on Sakusa and Kuguri in rap class, calling them the best rappers out of all the groups he’s seen so far. Meian Shugo and Nicholas Romero nod their approval when their team is up for evaluation, pointing out the small errors and insignificant details in their dance. It’s just too easy.</p><p>It is the night before their first official performance in front of a crowd and Atsumu thinks he can recite the lyrics to Chain backward in his sleep. He sends the rest of the group to bed at 11 and stays in the practice rooms by himself to perfect the one last dance move even though he doesn’t really need it, in case there are stray cameramen around to capture this moment.</p><p>Half an hour later, Sakusa is a dark shadow across the room as he holds the door open. They meet eyes and Sakusa nods at him in acknowledgment. Atsumu isn’t good at making friends, never really has been, but as long as he keeps needing Sakusa to boost his ratings and Sakusa needs him in return, Atsumu can tolerate him.</p><p>Sakusa comes over to point out the error in the angle he’s holding his arm out at, his fingers hesitating only for a moment before gliding over the curve of Atsumu’s elbow. This close, he can count all of Sakusa’s individual eyelashes as they fan out over his cheek, impossible long. Sakusa’s porcelain doll face scrunches up in irritation when Atsumu gets it wrong again, only half on purpose. It is a struggle to remind himself that tolerance is the only thing he can feel for Sakusa.</p>
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</div><b>[TRENDING] OUR TOP FIVE MOMENTS FROM PRODUCE 101 JAPAN EPISODE THREE</b><p>
  <em>Posted July 5th, 2019</em>
</p><p>This episode introduced us to the group battles, and we got to see how the teams for each song were formed. We even got to see the training montage of the trainees as they prepare for their first performance, as well as the performances from Team A and Team B for the first song, Fireworks by DAOKO! Here are our top five best moments from this episode!</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>5. Atsumu Miya forming his group for NCT 127’s Chain</b>
</p><p>Lucky him! Atsumu-kun was given the opportunity not only to pick what song he wanted to perform but all his groupmates as well! He picks Sakusa Kiyoomi from A class as his first choice without hesitation, much to the surprise of the other trainees. Atsumu-kun and Sakusa-kun have already been paired together in their hidden box mission, so is this a friendship forming that nobody saw coming? We were all expecting Atsumu-kun to pick more trainees from A-class, but he deftly picks the rest of his group with the help of Sakusa. It seems that he picked right too, as their group got consistent praise from the mentors during the training sessions!</p><p>
  <b>4. Oikawa Tooru and Daishou Suguru’s shaky partnership</b>
</p><p>Watching these two trainees bicker throughout everything is so funny! It just makes you wonder why Tendou Satori, who was given the chance to pick his teammate, chose both of them in the same group, especially since all three of them have known each other in B class! Due to the two trainees not getting along, Team A actually ended up very behind Team B, who cruised through without any major issues. Oikawa-kun and Daishou-kun seemed to have worked out their problems after being scolded by the mentors, so look forward to their performance of One of One next week!</p><p>
  <b>3. Coming Over teams packed with high-ranked trainees</b>
</p><p>After Atsumu Miya was picked his team, he was given the chance to pull a random name out of a bag. Whoever’s name he got would be given the next chance to pick his song and team! Atsumu-kun drew out Kuroo Tetsurou’s name, who quickly picked Coming Over by EXO and filled out his ranks. Notably, he picked Osamu Miya, the twin brother of Atsumu Miya, as well as Bokuto Koutarou, his longtime friend. The real surprise was when Konoha Akinori from Class C was picked right afterward and chose the same song, only to choose Ushijima Wakatoshi and Hoshiumi Kourai for himself! Both teams are jam-packed with trainees from A class, so their performance will definitely be one to watch out for!</p><p>
  <b>2. Kageyama Tobio’s stunning performance in Fireworks</b>
</p><p>Kageyama-kun was picked by Maruyama-kun in D class for this song, something he looked miffed by at the start. However, he quickly turned the tides around, using the song to showcase his vocals. His deep and husky voice surprised all of us when he started the song, and he dialed back on his dance to deliver a wonderful performance of the song! It’s no surprise that he ended up winning in his team as well. Kageyama-kun will be a candidate for the overall winner of this round in next week’s episode, so keep your eyes out!</p><p>
  <b>1. Goshiki Tsutomu’s re-evaluation to Class B</b>
</p><p>We’ve all come to love Goshiki Tsutomu in the last episodes, the boundless energy he has, and how he’s always aiming to improve himself, but this episode takes the cake! After seeing him cry last week because he couldn’t get the moves right, it was so satisfying to see him do well during the re-evaluations. He wasn’t able to make A class, but he rose up to B class while trying to hold back his tears. The other STZ trainees cheered so loud for him as he walked up to his new rank as well! We’re so excited to see what Goshiki-kun will continue to produce, so we’re super excited to see his performance next week!</p><p> </p><p>And that’s our list? What do you think? Do you agree with our list, or were there more moments that caught your attention? Who is the trainee you’ll be voting for? Feel free to tell us in the comments!</p><p>[Tags: Produce 101, Produce 101 Japan, Miya Atsumu, Sakusa Kiyoomi, Oikawa Tooru, Daishou Suguru, Kuroo Tetsurou, Miya Osamu, Bokuto Koutarou, Konoha Akinori, Hoshiumi Kourai, Ushijima Wakatoshi, Kageyama Tobio, Goshiki Tsutomu]</p>
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</div><b>Ushijima’s toe sucker</b> @nightbrights · 1 hour ago<p>USHIJIMA DANCING TO COMING OVER,,, OKAY ALRIGHT MAYBE THEY SAID NINA RIGHTS</p>
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  <p>&gt; <b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 39 minutes ago</p>
  <p>NOW IMAGINE HOW I FELT WHEN ATSUMU CHOSE CHAIN???? THIS IS PERSONAL PANDERING AT THIS POINT!!!</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 12 minutes ago</p><p>I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE ATSUMU PICKED CHAIN??? AND HE PICKED SAKUSA TOO??? THE SHOT OF THE TWO OF THEM PRACTICING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT,,, OKAY I SEE YOU TWO</p><p> </p><p><b>Produce 101 Japan Global</b> @PD101JP_GLOBAL · 6 minutes ago</p><p>Here is our top 11 after the third episode:</p><p>1. Hoshiumi Kourai<br/>
2. Ushijima Wakatoshi<br/>
3. Oikawa Tooru<br/>
4. Bokuto Koutarou<br/>
5. Kita Shinsuke<br/>
6. Miya Atsumu<br/>
7. Kageyama Tobio<br/>
8. Hinata Shouyou<br/>
9. Sakusa Kiyoomi<br/>
10. Akaashi Keiji<br/>
11. Hirugami Sachirou</p><p> </p><p><b>isa for kenma</b> @kenmacarena · 2 minutes ago</p><p>WHY is Kenma stuck at rank 12??? Please vote for him so he makes top 11 aHHHH eliminations are gonna happen episode 5 right?</p><p> </p><p><b>Iwaizumi Hajime rights!</b> @SenaNCelik · 54 minutes ago</p><p>Iwaizumi’s rank being stuck in the 20s,,, you hate to see talent! You really do! Oikawa is all the way up in 3rd can’t y’all just give Iwaizumi the same treatment please!!!!!</p>
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</div>There are many things in life that are limited: stages, fame, how far talent can get you. Atsumu wins the rankings for Chain but ranks 3rd overall behind Akaashi Keiji from Instagram Team A and Kageyama Tobio from Fireworks Team A. It’s not a bad ranking, but settling for it still feels like chewing on a mouthful of lead.<p>But before that, there was the all-encompassing joy when his name flashed out onto the TV screen in the filming room, above all of Team B’s, above even Sakusa’s. The sort of pure, unadulterated joy that came with the novelty of being <em>seen</em>, being recognised by the audience.</p><p>“Congratulations,” Sakusa’s fingers are feather-light around his wrist, the touch disappearing as soon as it comes. Atsumu burns at the contact and doesn’t think about how this, Sakusa’s touch, is a sort of victory that has more meaning than seeing his name come up on top of the list.</p><p>Atsumu feigns exhaustion, leaning closer to seemingly lie his head on Sakusa’s shoulder, calculating the angle from the camera on the wall to make it seem like they’re actually touching instead of reality, where Atsumu’s head remains hovering a half-inch over Sakusa’s collar. He can <em>feel</em> Sakusa’s brow furrow above him.</p><p>Ratings, ratings. Atsumu wills himself to remember, close enough to peek down the seams of Sakusa’s artfully unbuttoned shirt, close enough for Sakusa’s warm breath to hit his cheek. He’s doing this for the ratings, he has to be.</p><p>Maybe there’s a part of him that’s just curious to see if Sakusa would let him this close, if ratings were enough to let a stranger like Atsumu within his personal boundaries that he values so dearly. Sakusa tenses underneath him, but he doesn’t push Atsumu away. He’s got a good grasp on how to be an idol as well.</p><p>Terushima from group B cheers that they’ll work harder next time, and the members from Atsumu’s team clap for them. Atsumu’s head remains floating in the purgatory of a half-inch above Sakusa’s shoulder, and he makes sure he’s loud enough for the mics to pick up when he says, “Couldn’t have done it without you.”</p><p>A lie. He could’ve. They both know Atsumu wasn’t the type of monster who was willing to settle for dormancy, that he would have made himself a star no matter what it took. Sakusa knows just as well as Atsumu does because he’s the same type of monster as well. </p><p>Sakusa reaches over to cover Atsumu’s hand with his own, his fingers long and bony next to Atsumu’s palm. Atsumu knows Sakusa hates touch, hates crowds, and having to make contact with people he doesn’t know. He questions if he’s somehow, in the span of two weeks of practicing and practicing, become somebody Sakusa <em>knows</em>. </p><p>Idols rarely know anybody, much less another idol. Atsumu shoves down the faint satisfaction that at least Sakusa’s okay with touching <em>him</em> and instead admires Sakusa’s resolve. He wonders how far Sakusa is willing to go for a seat in the final top 11, to debut. </p><p>Sakusa’s voice is also just loud enough for the microphones to pick up. Atsumu wishes he wasn’t so goddamn relatable, because it would make it easier to remember that he and Sakusa are not friends. “Let’s make it to the finals together,” Sakusa states, a sureness in this tone that makes Atsumu believe that what he’s saying is true, that they’ll see each other in the live finale four months later. </p><p>“Course,” Atsumu laughs, the movement accidentally knocking his head into Sakusa’s shoulder. His neck is beginning to cramp and Sakusa didn’t flinch away, so he keeps his head down if just to relish in the petty satisfaction that Sakusa won’t, can’t push him away on camera. “I’ll see ya there.”</p><p>When episode 4 airs, this moment of the two of them trends worldwide and Atsumu’s ratings rise faster than anything INARI could pay for. #SAKUATSU becomes the most tweeted pairing tag in relation to #PD101JP, right next to #MIYAATSUMU and #SAKUSAKIYOOMI. </p><p>At two in the morning, Atsumu watches a GIF of the moment on the tablet the management staff had provided, probably paid for by his company. He looks at the way he closes his eyes instinctively when Sakusa begins to speak, immortalised in the form of pixels and soundless images. Something in his husk of a chest constricts when he sees Sakusa’s hand come to cover his own, a weakness he must get rid of before it is too late.</p><p>Weeds overgrow and suffocate other plants for scraps of sunlight, drops of water. If Atsumu doesn't pluck this weed out, his garden will soon be overturned with them, with weakness. </p><p>Idols cannot afford to be weak. Atsumu watches the gif loop again, flashing back to the moment he begins to lean down and shuts the tab before he can get any more ideas. Sleep is not an easy friend to come by that night.</p>
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</div><p>TAG: PD101JP · posted by JAPAN101 <em>3 hours ago</em></p><p>
  <b>PRODUCE 101 JAPAN EPISODE 4 - DISCUSSION</b>
</p><p>Welcome to the discussion thread for the fourth episode of Produce 101 Japan! How was this week’s episode for you after all the trainees were given ranks? Content that spoils the next episodes needs to be spoiler tagged, otherwise, go wild!</p><p>SUMMARY OF EPISODE 4: The group battles continue in a high swing! The remaining groups for the 7 songs performed and it was revealed that Akaashi Keiji (FKR) was the overall winner for this segment, with Kageyama Tobio (KRSN) and Miya Atsumu (INARI) placing 2nd and 3rd behind him respectively</p><p> </p><p>[457 comments]</p><p><br/>
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  <p>heyheyhey · 3 hours ago</p>
  <p>Justice for coming over?? It was such a shame that both groups did so well, so the votes were really evenly split between both Team A and Team B. I wish the audience could have voted for a member from each team instead because Bokuto being all the way down at 9 despite winning in his team and his team placing 2nd overall is just wrong</p>
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  <p>&gt; White Bunny · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>THIS!! i agree with this so much, if only the audience could vote for one member from each team. Some groups just had standout trainees, like how Akaashi got first even though his team was ranked 5th… At least Bokuto didn’t seem too disheartened? He looked really happy for Akaashi, they’ve known each other for years because they’re labelmates.</p>
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  <p>Insomnia · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>LMAO HQENM aren’t even being subtle with the trainees they want to push lol,,, just look at the difference between the Wake Up stages and the Instagram stages,,, no wonder it was easy for Akaashi Keiji to get first. </p>
  <p>The one of one trainees got paid dust, especially team B lol. They were stacked full of good trainees but wedging them between the coming over and chain was just sad. Even the practice montage for them was shorter as well in comparison to the other groups. I think coming over got almost five minutes more than them? At least Suna’s team won for one of one. I would have been so mad if they gave any more screentime to the mess that was Oikawa and Daishou.</p>
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  <p>&gt; Beans and Coffee · 24 minutes ago</p>
  <p>Don’t even get my started on the trainees from Nekojarashi and Wake Up?? It was like they didn’t even exist in comparison to the trainees who were from kpop songs lmaoooo. Kuroo is my first pick but even I was getting sick of how much his group got shown. We’ve been knew that the show is insanely rigged lol.</p>
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  <p>TOUYA · 29 minutes ago</p>
  <p>Justice for the turning up trainees (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ I was so looking forward to seeing Lev but he got so little screentime? HQENM fair screentime for everybody please!!!!!</p>
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  <p>skrrtskrrt · 55 minutes ago</p>
  <p>So much happened this episode??? I don’t know where to begin lol, but congrats to Chain Team A for ranking 1st overall. I think Atsumu Miya was really smart when he picked his team and he made the correct barter that he could beat out Sakusa in terms of live votes. Sakusa probably would have won in any other group, but it’s not really like he had a choice when Atsumu could pick anyone and any song he wanted.</p>
  <p>On another hand, I’m pleasantly surprised at how friendly those two are turning out to be. The footage of the two of them congratulating each other makes me insanely soft because both of them seem to be so well put together at any other given moment. Also, note how Sakusa lets Atsumu touch him even though he said he hated skinship in his self-intro?? </p>
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  <p>&gt; notaturkey · 17 minutes ago</p>
  <p>Honestly these two are quickly becoming my favourite pair to watch. They’re not as in your face like many of the other pairs, but I find that I enjoy their quiet moments a lot more. They balance each other out in a way? And they even have the spicy dynamic of not being from the same company unlike the most popular pairs like Bokuto/Akaashi and Iwaizumi/Oikawa… I’d never seen Sakusa be so upfront with anybody else in the competition, even Komori. I mean “let’s make it to the finals together”?? They must be really close behind the scenes.</p>
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  <p>AhChuu · 8 minutes ago</p>
  <p>Nobody’s talking about the Nekojarashi stages, so let me!! Hinata was so cute even if his team lost, cheering on the other team. I really hope his rankings rise in the future, he seems to be improving at a rapid speed!</p>
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</div><b>【宮 侑 (MIYA ATSUMU)】 | NCT 127♬CHAIN INDIVIDUAL FANCAM | PRODUCE 101 JAPAN</b><p>1,284,052 views · 14 Jul 2019</p><p>483k likes | 6k dislikes | Share</p><p> </p><p>[5372 Comments]</p><p> </p><p>carelle · 3 hours ago</p><p>THE WINK HE DOES AT 1:27,,, DAMN OKAY BOY TAKE IT EASY</p><p>2.9k likes | reply</p>
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  <p>NEOCITY · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>HAHAHA THE TIMESTAMP IS SO APPROPRIATE</p>
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</blockquote><p> </p><p>valentinojae · 5 hours ago</p><p>as a nctzen, i have to say that he did the dance the best out of both teams, so i’m really glad that he won!! He hits each move and note so expressively, that’s true talent right there!!</p><p>2.2k likes | reply</p><p> </p><p>i live the multi life · 2 hours ago</p><p>he looks so hot aHHHHH did you see the intense eye contact between him and sakusa at 2:38????? those two are gonna be the death of me</p><p>1.7k likes | reply</p>
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  <p>dimpleboy · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>PLEASE LIKE THE WAY THEY LOOKED AT EACH OTHER??? THEY WANT ME DEAD!!!</p>
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</blockquote><p> </p><p>mesaysthis · 3 hours ago</p><p>okay this guy is an absolute performer. i just came to check it out because they were covering NCT’s song, and this guy nails it! maybe i’ll keep an eye out for him in the future</p><p>1.1k likes | reply</p>
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</div>Atsumu ranks 5th at the first eliminations to the surprise of absolutely nobody. The rest of his company have already made it pass the round, so there’s no heartfelt clap on the back for this achievement, just some trainees holding him back to fight for those extra seconds of screentime. His speech is a long, winding thing, meant to milk every single of screentime INARI has bought him.<p>In a sea of ‘I’ll continue to work hard’s and ‘please continue to look after me’s and ‘thank you for voting for me’s, Atsumu raises his head to the ceiling when rank 9th is announced, looking straight at the bright ceiling lights until his eyes begin to hurt and water.</p><p>By the time he is called up at fifth, he has perfected the glassy-eyed look he was aiming for and he hides his smile as he bows low and deep for the camera. Not a single one of them is below top 20. INARI’s going to have a field day with how the four of them did.</p><p>Suna’s rank rapidly rose from 79 in the first episode to 18, Kita sitting just outside of the cutoff rank at 12, he and Osamu making it to top 11 without much issue. INARI was going to be very, very happy with this. Atsumu thinks of management telling him “we can only afford for one of you to debut” and looks at Osamu sitting in 9th with vindication pooling in his stomach. This is a sort of victory as well.</p><p>There is a cookie cutter formula for how idols should behave, besides the ridiculous demand for individuality. Atsumu sniffles a little just to put all of years of acting lessons to use and starts with, “When Osamu and I joined INARI five years ago.”</p><p>“I never imagined I’d get here one day. I remember sitting in the practice rooms at night with Samu and one day I said ‘what if we just quit?’ to him,” Atsumu lies with a straight face. What a joke, he’s never wanted anything else other than to be an idol. Five years of his life down the drain, but it was always going to be this for him. Five rows above him, Osamu cracks a smile and hides it in his palms.</p><p>Atsumu takes a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m glad we didn’t give up back then. I know how precious each stage is, so I will treasure each of them. Every vote I get is another chance to perform, to show you what I have. This isn’t the end of Atsumu Miya at all, it’s only the beginning.”</p><p>He tilts his face just a little to the right just so the center camera with its blinking red light is focused on him. “I’ll make sure none of you regret believing in me, so please keep looking at me. I promise to make all of my national producers proud.”</p><p>Clapping rings out within the room in the wake of his speech, and he makes sure to bow once again before heading up the stairs. Suna steps out of his line to high five him, their eyes twinkling, then Atsumu takes a detour all the way over to 12th just so Kita can fuss over his hair. The camera is still on him, so these are all moments that can be used to his advantage.</p><p>Osamu is waiting to meet him at 9th. They’re not the physically affectionate type, but there’s no need for communication as they pull each other in for a hug, fitting their chins against each other’s shoulders to clasp at each other warmly. Atsumu can practically hear the <em>awww</em> that’ll resound across the nation when this moment is inevitably aired.</p><p>Osamu counts under his breath, hiding his face in the junction where Atsumu’s neck meets his collar. Once he hits eight, they seperate in sync and trade solemn nods. Nobody would believe it, but this is something they’ve practiced as well, the faint glimmer of amusement in Osamu’s eyes their only tell as Osamu spouts some pleasantries towards him as sincerely as he can act. Somebody cues Atsumu to move on, so he does.</p><p>The surprise? Sakusa in 7th, stepping closer just as Atsumu passes him. Atsumu was prepared for a polite pat on the back, maybe even a few words, but Sakusa went straight for the kill, dragging Atsumu into a loose embrace of a hug. Their bodies press together for a second and Atsumu is thankful that he’s learnt how to smile at any given moment so no shock shows on his face. His tally moves up again, 13-12 in favor of Sakusa.</p><p>Sakusa’s seat is ideal, right in front of the camera in the middle of the row, so he doesn’t even need to raise his voice to say, “Congratulations,” the warmth in his tone contrasting the cold calculation in his eyes. Sakusa’s fingertips burn a five point star at where his hand lies on Atsumu’s back, through the three layers of fabric of the uniform they’re all wearing.</p><p>All the trainees in the room are watching. The cameras are watching. The nation will be watching. Atsumu hugs Sakusa back, arms loose enough so Sakusa doesn’t regret this that much and drawls back a confident, smug, “Told ya so.”</p><p>Sakusa’s mouth quirks upwards, but it’s the faint crinkle of his brows that’s the real smile. Atsumu recognises it because he tripped right onto his face six days ago in front of Sakusa when they were practicing alone at 3 in the morning and Sakusa’s brows had drawn upwards in the same tight, amused manner.</p><p>This is a weakness and Atsumu cannot allow any weaknesses. Atsumu hates the way he now knows that Sakusa is laughing through how his eyes dart to the side. Even more, he hates how letting go of Sakusa is already becoming a difficulty, and hates worst of all the four whole seconds it takes him after they detach to plaster the idol smile back onto his face.</p><p>Atsumu’s spent five years cultivating his idol smile, days and days worth of looking at nothing but his face in the mirror, forcing the muscles in his cheeks to go up just the way the company wanted them to. Three weeks of Sakusa Kiyoomi and it took four seconds of effort before Atsumu’s muscle memory kicks in to form the perfect enigma of said idol smile. This is starting to become dangerous.</p><p>Atsumu settles in his plush seat in 5th, sinking into the sofas with relish. He’s always been good at playing games, but he’s starting to wonder if this game was worth playing anymore. </p><p>Bokuto is announced at 4th, Oikawa at 3rd. Hoshiumi and Ushijima get a dramatic stand down at the front of the stage for 1st and 2nd and Ushijima emerges victorious to be crowned center for their first ranking evaluation.</p><p>Atsumu looks down at Sakusa in 7th, then up at Ushijima at 1st. The vinyl underneath squeaks at the movement, as if infected by how uncomfortable he is. Ushijima leads the pledge in front of the 60 trainees who remain. Atsumu swallows the lump in his throat as he recites along Ushijima’s booming voice and wishes, desperately, that he was more envious of Ushijima for it.</p>
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</div><b>Produce 101 Japan Global</b> @PD101JP_GLOBAL · 2 hours ago<p>The official rankings for the first elimination:</p><p>1. Ushijima Wakatoshi<br/>
2. Kourai Hoshiumi<br/>
3. Oikawa Tooru<br/>
4. Bokuto Koutarou<br/>
5. Miya Atsumu<br/>
6. Kiryuu Wakatsu<br/>
7. Sakusa Kiyoomi<br/>
8. Kozume Kenma<br/>
9. Miya Osamu<br/>
10. Hinata Shouyou<br/>
11. Kageyama Tobio</p><p> </p><p><b>Tay</b> @shouyoushine · 1 hour ago</p><p>HINATA’S IN TOP 11 OH MY GOD CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS??? MY SUNSHINE BOY IS IN TOP 11!!!! </p><p> </p><p><b>FUTAKUCHI FOR PRESIDENT</b> @futacoochies · 2 minutes ago</p><p>Futakuchi being all the way down at 27 is a CRIME!! i would like to speak to whoever is in charge of all this shit if my king doesn’t make top 20 at least i’m going to sue!!</p>
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  <p>&gt; <b>Ennoshita’s military wife</b> @chikirachikira · 32 seconds ago</p>
  <p>im so worried about ennoshita as well aHHHH if he doesn’t rise the next eliminations might be the end for him,,,, HQENM if u eliminate ennoshita we are going to have WORDS</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p><b>Komori World Domination 2019</b> @komododragon · 1 hour ago</p><p>KEEP VOTING FOR KOMORI!!! HE WAS SO CLOSE TO MAKING TOP 11 THIS WEEK I KNOW WE CAN DO IT FOR HIM!!!!</p><p> </p><p><b>Ushijima’s toe sucker</b> @nightbrights · 52 minutes ago</p><p>USHIJIMA FIRST?? THAT’S THE CONTENT I LIKE TO SEE. THIS THE SHIT OUR KING DESERVES BOW DOWN AT THIS FEET HE LOOKS SO GOOD AT THE TOP OF THE PYRAMID BITCH THAT’S WHERE YOU BELONG!!!</p><p> </p><p><b>ERI for GOSHIKI</b> @beckoning · 39 minutes ago</p><p>repeat after me: goshiki best boy goshiki top 11 goshiki debut goshiki best dancer in the world</p><p> </p><p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 23 minutes ago</p><p>#SAKUATSU HUGGED THIS IS NOT A DRILL THIS IS NOT A DRILLLLL I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A DRILL THEY HUGGED AND SMILED AT EACH OTHER MY SHIP IS SAILING!!!!!!!</p>
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</div><p>TAG: PD101JP · posted by PD101_SUBS <em>2 hours ago</em></p><p>
  <b>[TRANS] PRODUCE 101 JAPAN EPISODE 5 - BEST LOOKING TRAINEE</b>
</p><p>Hi! Here is the youtube link to our translated segment for the best looking trainee segment, as voted by trainees themselves! Each trainee had to pick their choice of the trainee with the best visuals and the four trainees with the most votes were revealed. These four will be given a chance to shoot a commercial with Calpis, the official drinks partner for the season!</p><p>[LINK]</p><p>Here’s a short recap summary of the segment in case you can’t access the link! We’ve also included some quotes from the trainees who voted!</p><p>4. Semi Eita (STZ)</p><p>Semi Eita from STZ was 4th place for this segment. He got plenty of votes from the other trainees, as well as a lot of support from his labelmates! He was praised for his pale skin and uniquely shaped eyes.</p><p><b>Tendou Satori:</b> I live with him so I see his face every day. It’s a little annoying how good he manages to look when he wakes up, ya know?</p><p><b>Konoha Akinori:</b> Semi-san looks really good even when he’s tired. We would be practicing and he looks ready handsome even if he was sweaty at the end of the day, I’m a little envious. </p><p><b>Futakuchi Kenji:</b> I heard he was a model before right? I’ve seen a few of his photoshoots around Miyagi. He pulls off the silver hair really well, I wonder how he looks with his natural hair color?</p><p>3. Oikawa Tooru (ABJS)</p><p>Oikawa Tooru ranked third in the other trainees’ eyes for visuals! Yahaba Shigeru from the same company talked about Oikawa’s intense skincare routine to which Oikawa vehemently denied.</p><p><b>Yahaba Shigeru:</b> When you share the same bathroom with him, you can say goodbye to owning any sort of counter space. Oikawa-kun has so many jars and bottles of products that he’s scary.</p><p><b>Iwaizumi Hajime:</b> I think Oikawa would hunt me down if I didn’t vote for him. [T/N: With a heavy sigh] He’s definitely good-looking though, I’ve known him since he was a kid and he’s looked the same the whole time.</p><p><b>Oikawa Tooru:</b> Did Shigeru say that about me? It’s not true! He has a lot of skincare products too! Beauty is hard to maintain you know!</p><p>2. Sakusa Kiyoomi (ITACHI)</p><p>The ever-popular Sakusa Kiyoomi came second! He was described as an “untouchable beauty” by Daishou Suguru and had “greek god-like masculinity” by Gao Hakuba.</p><p><b>Kunimi Akira:</b> Sakusa-san is very tall and very well-built, so he’s really easy to spot in a crowd. I was standing next to him earlier and even I couldn’t help but think that he was really handsome when he turned around.</p><p><b>Hirugami Sachirou:</b> Sakusa’s just one of the people who has it all, you know? He’s tall and handsome and can dance really well too. It was a pleasure to work with him for the group battles, I hope we can be in the same group again.</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> Omi-kun’s definitely got the most memorable face here. I mean, his two moles are just so unforgettable and recognisable. You could put his pretty face on any sort of product and I’d probably be more likely to buy it. </p><p>1. Akaashi Keiji (FKR)</p><p>And the winner of the best-looking trainee segment is none other than Akaashi Keiji! He received votes from almost a third of the trainees much to his surprise, who had a lot to say about him!</p><p><b>Himekawa Aoi:</b> Akaashi-san is definitely the visual center in my opinion! He looks so graceful and elegant all the time, even in the early mornings for breakfast.</p><p><b>Suna Rintarou:</b> Akaashi-kun looks like a prince all the time. You just need to give him a cape and a crown and he could probably star in any drama genre he wanted to.</p><p><b>Bokuto Koutarou:</b> Akaashi! When we first met, my first thought was ‘Woah this guy is good-looking”! He tried green hair last year and he looked great in it too, so I’m not sure he can look bad in anything!</p><p><b>Akaashi Keiji:</b> I didn’t think I would win this segment, so I’m really happy. [T/N: laughs a little] I’ll work hard to show my national producers that I can sing and perform on stage well, so please keep looking out for me.</p><p> </p><p>And that was the segment! This episode also bought our first eliminations, so starting next week only 60 trainees will continue to move on in this competition. Do you agree with the visual top 4? We’ll catch you next week!</p><p> </p><p>[472 comments]</p><p><br/>
</p>
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  <p>Dante · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>My visual top 4 is:<br/>
Akaashi Keiji<br/>
Oikawa Tooru<br/>
Sakusa Kiyoomi<br/>
Kuguri Naoyasa</p>
  <p>Reply</p>
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  <p>&gt; squidcandy · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>Same!! I thought Kuguri would have made the list considering he was a model before, but didn’t Semi vote for him? He was fifth or something right?</p>
  <p>Reply</p>
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  <p>RollerCoaster · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>Ahhhhh Akaashi is so cute! His little giggle was so adorable and the trainees were right, he really is gorgeous! I would love to see him in the same group as Sakusa since they voted for each other, that would be a visual overload!</p>
  <p>Reply</p>
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  <p>&gt; Dilemma101 · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>They’re going to film an ad together right? The visuals are going to kill me! I can’t wait to see the final product.</p>
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  <p>&gt;&gt; RollerCoaster · 21 minutes ago</p>
  <p>I didn’t even consider the ad!! oh my god we’re all going to die from how handsome they all are!!</p>
  <p>Reply</p>
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  <p>Ziggy · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>CAN WE TALK ABOUT ATSUMU CALLING SAKUSA “OMI-KUN”??? WHEN DID THIS DEVELOPMENT HAPPEN??? AND HE CALLED SAKUSA PRETTY AS WELL???? HELLO????</p>
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  <p>&gt; legendluvr · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>Seems like those two become friends really quickly? If you told me at the start of the show that loud and impressionable Miya Atsumu was going to become friends with quiet and mopey Sakusa Kiyoomi I wouldn’t have believed you, but here we are. They really bonded over practicing for Chain, didn’t they?</p>
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  <p>MelonPop · 14 minutes ago</p>
  <p>hopefully this will get semi more screentime and popularity… i’m really hoping he’ll manage to get into top 11</p>
  <p>Reply</p>
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</div>Atsumu’s watched both existing seasons, so when the alarms blare to announce a new day in Produce 101, he prepares himself to go to war.<p>The position evaluations was where the real competition started, where this show transformed into a dog eat dog battlefield with no mercy. They’d all been given meaning now, in the form of a ranking on their shirt. Miya Atsumu, INARI Entertainment, became Miya Atsumu, rank 5, in a fortnight. </p><p>Skill didn’t matter anymore, only the number on your shirt. It didn’t matter that Hinata Shouyou had only started practicing three months ago if he was only five numbers behind Atsumu’s five years. It was like all of his progress had gotten deleted and he was back to the same starting point as everybody else. Something about this thought pisses Atsumu off.</p><p>Dance, vocal, rap. The three fundamental foundations of the idol world, a pyramid in their own right. But beyond the three of them, there was something nameless, faceless that held the industry in it’s claws—<em>star power</em>.</p><p>Some people are born stars. Being a star was something that could be learnt, something that could be taught, but you could work years and years and never shine as brightly as the people who were just born with it. You can polish a rock until it’s smooth and perfect, but it’ll never glow the same as a natural diamond.</p><p>Atsumu was born a plain country boy from a speck on a map that made up a city in Hyogo. He spent years polishing and polishing himself until he was now a glittering piece of gold, but he will always just be that. You couldn’t turn a piece of gold into a diamond no matter how much you tried and at some point, staring into his haggard appearance in the training room mirrors at four in the morning, Atsumu had come to accept that.</p><p>So he’s learnt to be smart instead of beautiful, cunning instead of dazzling. These are optic illusions that can trick people into believing that he had the glow of a star and not the exhausted boy from Hyogo he really was. He watches Ushijima walk into the picking room and calculates.</p><p>It’s almost gospel that dancers always get the most attention. Ushijima will have chosen one of the five available choices for dance and Atsumu can foresee Hoshiumi and Oikawa and Bokuto doing the same. In a few minutes, Atsumu will be expected to do the same.</p><p>Here is a secret Atsumu will never tell the world: he auditioned as a vocalist.</p><p>When he and Osamu were looking at those dancing idols on screen and decided that this—the stage and the cheers and the fans, was what they wanted, they signed up for dancing lessons. Atsumu didn’t mind them, but a part of him was always envious of his brother.</p><p>Osamu took to dancing more naturally, could make his body move the way he wanted while Atsumu trailed behind sluggishly, unsure of his own body. Osamu hit his growth spurt hard and fast, so while he sprung up ten centimeters over the span of two months and grew into his limbs in the blink of an eye, Atsumu was always stuck playing catch-up.</p><p>And it’s not like Osamu ever made proper fun of him, even when he’d settled into his new body and Atsumu was still trying to make sense of his gangly limbs and the bursts of centimeters he would randomly grow overnight. Sure, he poked a little fun when Atsumu tripped over his own feet, but he never actually <em>laughed</em> at Atsumu about it.</p><p>Maybe that’s what he hates the most, how Osamu just accepted that in some way, he was just <em>better</em> than Atsumu at dancing. If Osamu had laughed at him, it would have meant that Atsumu was at least worthy of putting down, but instead his brother had just silently helped him through memorising each dance move in the grueling class they’d sign up for. </p><p>Osamu never said anything when Atsumu would sneak out of their room early in the mornings to practice, but he always made sure to give Atsumu a bigger portion during dinner. It didn’t change that no matter how much Atsumu tried, Osamu was just better at dancing. Dancing was a learnt skill for Atsumu, but it was almost innate for Osamu.</p><p>Atsumu hated losing more than anything. At the tender age of fourteen, he decided that if he couldn’t beat Osamu at dancing, then he had to beat Osamu at something else. So he took singing classes on top of dancing lessons, working double-time. Both of them had a grasp on the piano, but when Osamu asked for a new copy of some football game for their fifteenth birthday, Atsumu asked for a guitar instead and taught himself how to play it.</p><p>Nakamura-san was a sweet and stout woman, much different from the tall and strict dance teacher from the dancing academy he and Osamu attended. She’d told Atsumu right off the bat while he had a decent voice, there was much they had to work on. Looking back, Atsumu wishes he tried harder those first months, that he wasn’t so dead set on beating Osamu and had just sung the way he wanted to back then.</p><p>She could tell, too, Nakamura-san who had a voice as pure as a songbird. She could always tell that Atsumu didn’t have the heart for singing, that he was too focused on another future. Atsumu picked up the necessary techniques from her early on, but he could never sing the way she did, the way that captured people’s attention and moved people to tears.</p><p>Stepping into a vocal studio for the first time was exhilarating, the first time he was trying to pursue something without Osamu. Slipping on a pair of headphones outside the thick window of the recording glass, watching Nakamura-san fiddle with the dials as another student of her’s took their place in front of the microphone, drinking one last mouthful of water.</p><p>The background music flooded the room like a storm of heavy rain, low and comforting bass overlaying a light synth. Fifteen-year-old Atsumu sat in the comfortable recording chair, eyes wide as his teacher gave the okay to start recording. The older student flashes a thumbs up, voice ready to burst out like a butterfly from its cocoon. Atsumu counts the beats, 1-2-3-4, and when the voice joined over the track, that was <em>it</em> for him.</p><p>There was no other way to describe it other than music. Atsumu could list out every single adjective in the book and he still wouldn’t be able to find one fitting for how he felt in that moment. It was just that—music.</p><p>Three, four minutes passed. The track faded away and the student drank more water, asking for a retake. Atsumu perches very carefully in his chair and tries to move on from the single most pivotal and groundbreaking moment of his life.</p><p>“Nakamura-sensei.” He tugs at her sleeve as they wave goodbye to the student at the exit.</p><p>She turns to look at him, a smile on her face. She was always like that, Nakamura-san, patient and understanding and more than anything Atsumu has ever done in his life to deserve. </p><p>Atsumu swallows the lump in his throat. “I want to sing.”</p><p>“Well,” Nakamura-san had laughed, “that’s what I’m here for.” </p><p>And that had been that.</p><p>When he’d eventually bowed goodbye to Nakamura-san a year later, two weeks before he and Osamu went up to Kobe to audition for INARI, she’d given him a warm hug and made him promise not to forget why he sings. It was difficult to walk out of the studio with his head held up high that day.</p><p>The two of them passed the auditions without much trouble and Atsumu went back to playing catchup with Osamu in dance, staying longer than any other trainee at night to force himself to go through all the motions. But this was his secret, a life-changing moment outside a recording studio, a promise resounding inside his mind: <em>I want to sing.</em></p><p>Here is a second secret, one that Atsumu will share with the world: He loves cheesy romance movies.</p><p>“Ah, I’m actually a romantic at heart,” he tells the cameras, bringing a hand up to scratch at his neck as if in embarrassment. “I’ve watched a lot of foreign movies when I was trying to improve my other languages, so I ended up really liking romance movies.”</p><p>It’s things like these that get him clicks, get him views. Insignificant details that make the screaming hoards imagine a sense of intimacy, the idea that they <em>know</em> who their idol is. </p><p>But maybe it’s a combination of both, his stupid hangup over tearjerking romace movies and an unspoken promise of <em>I want to sing</em> that makes him turn away from the dancer section of the song choices, from stages that’ll surely be popular like <em>Electric Kiss</em> by <em>EXO</em> and <em>WILD WILD WILD</em> by <em>Exile the Second</em>. </p><p>Maybe Atsumu wants to feel human again, just for a while, so he picks up <em>A Kind of Sorrow</em> by <em>A-Lin</em> instead. Ushijima, WILD WILD WILD. Hoshiumi, Electric Kiss. Oikawa, You Should See Me In a Crown. Bokuto, WILD WILD WILD. How predictable.</p><p>Atsumu flips the sign he’s holding over, grinning as Bokuto screams half in confusion and half in excitement and walks over the vocal’s section instead. </p><p>Sakusa holds up the card for <em>Good Thing</em> as he enters, eyes darting to the empty line in front of the song and something like satisfaction fills his face. Then he looks at Atsumu, tall and proud in front of a song that nobody in the arena has probably heard. Sakusa raises a brow, but he doesn’t question Atsumu’s choice. Perhaps Sakusa had already been expecting this from him. He knows by now that Atsumu’s always liked a good surprise anyways.</p>
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</div><b>Produce 101 Japan Subs</b> @PD101JP_SUBS · 3 hours ago<p>[RUMOR] Based on the previews, these are the songs available for the position evaluations!</p><p>Vocals:</p><p>Lemon - Yonezu Kenshi (5)<br/>
Wherever You Are - ONE OKAY ROCK (5)<br/>
A Kind Of Sorrow - A-Lin (5)<br/>
Happy Ending - Seventeen (5)</p><p>[CONT]</p>
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  <p>&gt; <b>Produce 101 Japan Subs</b> @PD101JP_SUBS · 3 hours ago</p>
  <p>Rap:</p>
  <p>Yes or No - Zico (4)<br/>
Talk (Remix) - Khalid &amp; Megan Thee Stallion (4)</p>
  <p>Dance:</p>
  <p>Electric Kiss - Exo (7)<br/>
Over The Top - Hey Say JUMP (7)<br/>
You Should See Me In A Crown - Billie Eilish (6)<br/>
Good Thing - Zedd &amp; Kehleni (6)<br/>
WILD WILD WILD - Exile the Second (6)</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 2 hours ago</p><p>AHHHHH I’M SO EXCITED TO SEE WHICH GROUP ATSUMU GOES TO? I ACTUALLY THINK HE MIGHT NOT DO DANCE LOL HE SAID HE WANTED TO SHOWCASE HIS VOCALS MORE</p><p> </p><p><b>goshiki stan account</b> @semi_circle · 6 minutes ago</p><p>oh WORM??? wonder what the STZ trainees are going to pick? Semi and Shirabu are probably gonna do vocal, then I can see the rest doing dance</p><p> </p><p><b>merin loves sakusa</b> @omiomikwun · 19 minutes ago</p><p>I know Sakusa is probably going to go for dance but,, can he please pick yes or no,,, I just want to hear his rapping voice again,,,,,</p><p> </p><p><b>dalilah</b> @dalilah.rose · 54 minutes ago</p><p>god if you’re out there,,, kita for rap. please. it’s all i want. please.</p>
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</div><b>[TRENDING] OUR FAVOURITE BROMANCES IN PRODUCE 101 JAPAN</b><p>
  <em>Posted July 21st, 2019</em>
</p><p>Five episodes of Produce 101 Japan has aired now and we’re here to talk about our favourite bromances! Since the start of the show, the trainees have now gotten to know each other. Of course, some of the trainees know each other from their labels, so we won’t be including them on this list! Without further ado, here are our favourite pairs from Produce 101 Japan!</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>4. Terushima Yuuji (JZJ) and Daishou Suguru (NOHEBI)</b>
</p><p>These two trainees have shown to be close to each other as they were paired for their hidden box mission! They’ve been seen to be practicing together late at night even if they were in different groups for the group evaluations! Terushima has stated that he feels Daishou really understands him and that they two hope to be able to be in a group together one day! We definitely hope to see this dream come true! The two are so encouraging towards each other that we can’t help but support both of them!</p><p>
  <b>[GIF Description: Terushima and Daishou hugging each other when they got their rankings in Episode 5]</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>3. Kageyama Tobio (KRSN) and Ushijima Wakatoshi (STZ)</b>
</p><p>Kageyama and Ushijima both come off as very quiet, so we were all surprised to see Kageyama approaching Ushijima during A-class for help! While the two haven’t been seen interacting that much, they do seem to be quite comfortable with each other! Look at Kageyama tugging on Ushijima’s sleeve to get his attention, aren’t they just cutest? We hope that this friendship can prosper, as it seems that it’s a step out of the comfort zone for both Kageyama and Ushijima!</p><p>
  <b>[GIF Description: Kageyama reaching out to tug at Ushijima’s jacket sleeves to ask for help with a dance move]</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>2. Kuroo Tetsurou (NEKO) and Bokuto Koutarou (FKR)</b>
</p><p>Of course, no list talking about bromance can miss talking about Kuroo and Bokuto! These two are longtime friends who were once in the same street dance crew GRIFFIN. They’ve now been reunited on Produce 101 Japan and their friendship will have you giggling! The two constantly tease each other and have incredible stage chemistry, just look at their stage for EXO’s Coming Over in the group battle round! Kuroo says that Bokuto is one of his closest friends and it’s clear as day that it’s true!</p><p>
  <b>[GIF Description: Kuroo and Bokuto throwing a finger heart at the audience in their Coming Over performance]</b>
</p><p> </p><p><b>1. Miya Atsumu (INARI) and Sakusa Kiyoomi (ITACHI)</b><br/>
Now this pairing is an unlikely friendship nobody saw coming! The two trainees have drastically different personalities, so it was to all of our surprises when Miya picked Sakusa to be the first member of his team for Chain! The two seem to have grown really close when practicing and they’re one of the most popular searched pairs on social media! Who would have thought? They’ve both said that they work well together, so we hope they get the chance to perform together in the next few rounds of the competition!</p><p>
  <b>[GIF Description: Atsumu leaning on Sakusa’s shoulder when they got their rankings for the group battle performances]</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Those are our favourite bromances forming on Produce 101 Japan, what do you think? Are there any other pairs that have caught your eye? Best of luck to the trainees who will be commencing the second round of performances in episode 6!</p><p>[Tags: Produce 101, Produce 101 Japan, Terushima Yuuji, Daishou Suguru, Kageyama Tobio, Ushijima Wakatoshi, Kuroo Tetsurou, Bokuto Koutarou, Miya Atsumu, Sakusa Kiyoomi]</p>
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</div>Everything in the idol world was a double-edged sword. The way you looked, the words you spoke, your every gesture and every choice. Everything you do and say are bound to be picked apart for some sort of deeper meaning.<p>This is what Atsumu reassures himself with when he sees the rest of his group. Kunimi Akira, 35. Sugawara Koushi, 19. Aone Takanobu, 31, Himekawa Aoi, 41. If they got favorable screentime, something that was likely to happen now that INARI seems to have settled for debuting him, all of them could probably make it through the next eliminations.</p><p>At least they’re all vocalists, so it’s not like they blindsided him by picking a vocal song even though they couldn’t sing. That’s not the problem at all. The problem was how little they stuck out in comparison to everybody else. Even Sugawara’s 19 was only a byproduct of Hinata’s 10 and Kageyama’s 11, if Atsumu was being very honest.</p><p>He has to be. Bluntly, mercilessly honest. There’s no other way they’re going to get anywhere if he isn’t and Atsumu doesn’t just want to survive, he wants to <em>thrive</em>. He knows the song they’re singing like the back of his hand, but three seconds into their first practice session already had him wanting to tear his own hair out because none of the others do. </p><p>How to project better, how to look at the camera in the right way, how to hit each note without straining. These are things Atsumu can teach, things that can be measured by minutes and hours of practice. He could beat them over the head with the same advice over and over again: lift your head when you’re singing, don’t look down if you forget lyrics, remember to drink warm room temperature water consistently. </p><p>There are things Atsumu can’t teach, no matter how much he wants to: how to shine on stage, how to pack emotion in your voice, how to be a star. The mentors have nothing to say about their singing, the same bland advice like radio static following Atsumu through all his years. But they all have one thing to say: something about their group is missing.</p><p>So Atsumu sits all of them down three days before they have to perform and asks for a tablet from the production team. He’s not sure if they relent because they recognise him as one of INARI’s trainees or because it’ll make good footage, but they help him download the movie he asks for and follows him to the practice room where the rest of his team sits perplexed.</p><p>When Atsumu said he loved cheesy tear-jerking romance movies, he meant it. He loved the passing sense of humanity they gave him, the brief burst of cheap emotion he’d get when he cried. You don’t spend five years of your life working towards some nameless goal without growing thicker skin, but Atsumu has always been a crybaby.</p><p>Sugawara had volunteered to be leader for this team, but everybody knew Atsumu was really calling the shots. Atsumu’s watched this exact movie where <em>A Kind Of Sorrow</em> comes from, cried at least six times over the span of his five rewatches. </p><p>He dreads losing any kind of practicing time. Every second and minute should be spent working towards improving themselves for the stage where they’ll be left at the audience’s mercy, but Atsumu had to do this for any sort of surviving chance. He can hear music pound from the other practice rooms, the thudding of feet and beats being counted and it makes him queasy, nervous with apprehension.</p><p>Atsumu hates slowing down for anybody else, but he hates losing even more. He has to do what it takes to win because losing this time might really be the end of the road for him. He’s getting older now, he sees some of the trainees he’s known since he joined getting replaced by shinier, younger stars. Where there should be resentment pooling in his gut at having to adjust to somebody else’s pace, something he’s never done even for <em>Osamu</em>, there’s only five year’s worth of accumulating exhaustion.</p><p>So he does what it takes to survive—he slows down. Atsumu presses play on the tablet and the intro to <em>More Than Blue</em> begins to play. There is nothing that needs to be said for the next ninety minutes, nothing but eyes glued to the subtitles and tissues being passed around.</p><p>Atsumu starts tearing up before any of them, his body shaking once the familiar scenes start to play. He knows how this movie goes, but it doesn’t stop reality from socking him over anyways. He is suddenly reminded of how tired he is, how much every muscle in his body hurts with overuse and how much his throat has developed a permanent burn every time he speaks. It’s a terrible, all encompassing feeling that leaves him gasping for air.</p><p>He’s never figured out why he’s so attached to these movies. Osamu enjoyed action movies and Suna prefered fantasy, so they’d sneak off to the cinemas every once in a while. You can afford to do stuff like this, when your face was still unknown and all you had was the pride of the years you’ve trained. Atsumu hated cinemas, hated being one in the crowd and the loss of identity that came with sitting in a room full of strangers and empathising with them, so he never followed them.</p><p>Instead, he laid in his bed at forsaken hours in the morning, peering at the tiny screen of his phone with earphones shoved in. This is another skill he’s learnt over the years: how to cry quietly. He’s learned through shoulders trembling in silent waves, emotions muffled into his pillow as tears drip down his face. Atsumu has always found the unrealistic realism of romance movies the most painful kind of truth, the kind that makes him feel, huddling under the blankets, <em>seen</em>.</p><p>The clock in the practice room ticks past one in the morning as the ending credits begin to roll. Nobody in the room has dry eyes, even unemotive Aone and reticent Kunimi, but Atsumu’s crying the hardest of them all. He forces himself to stop crying, another learnt skill, then tells the rest of the group to rest up for tomorrow. </p><p>A mean glimmer of victory raises its head in his stomach when he sees their eyes. This is something he can work with, something he can mold into a stage, something he could force into a semblance of perfection. He lingers in the bathrooms after they all go to sleep, then crouches in the corner of the practice corridor to bawl his eyes out.</p><p>Crying doesn’t get you anywhere, doesn’t make you shine any brighter or sing more beautifully, but Atsumu stiffles his sobs into his fists in this hidden corner and finds that he can’t stop. In the interview eight hours later when they bring out footage of him hunched over, the angle perfectly capturing the wet streaks on his cheeks caught by a camera he hadn’t even noticed, Atsumu smiles serenely. </p><p>“It's just really difficult sometimes, always aiming for something you never know you’ll reach,” he tells the camera, letting his eyes turn glazed. Atsumu wasn’t faking it last night when he cried on national TV, but he’s acting when he glances to the side, dropping his eyes to the floor. ”I want to be seen by my national producers, to prove to them that I have what it takes to debut.”</p><p>What a joke. Of course Atsumu has what it takes to debut. INARI wouldn’t be losing a hefty chunk out of their bank account if they didn’t believe he could debut with the sort of editing he gets. But Atsumu swallows heavily and sighs for the cameras and the clip of him crying trends on Twitter worldwide and his rank actually briefly surpasses Oikawa’s on the polls, so maybe it wasn’t an entire loss after all.</p><p>But seven hours before, when Atsumu’s cried himself empty and is choking on air trying to force oxygen back into his lungs, there’s Sakusa, bending down in front of him to offer him a box of tissues and a bottle of water. He doesn’t pat Atsumu on the back or say anything, dropping a packet of granola bars at Atsumu’s feet.</p><p>Atsumu looks up, at the way the light halos Sakusa’s fringe and the sweat gathering around Sakusa’s chin. He’s cried so much he feels lightheaded, his world blurring into saltwater around the edges of Sakusa. Atsumu hadn’t noticed the camera, but Sakusa must have, because when Atsumu rewinds the footage of him crying. Sakusa’s back blocks Atsumu’s expression.</p><p>Atsumu’s thighs burn underneath him, straining at holding himself up for so long. The wall behind him digs uncomfortably into his back. Sakusa’s aware of the camera, so this is the part where Sakusa is supposed to comfort him, tell him he’ll be okay. Instead, Sakusa wrinkles his nose a little in distaste at Atsumu’s debauched state and leaves with nothing but a “rest well”.</p><p>Maybe it’s this small piece of mercy that makes Atsumu hate that moment with a burning passion, the way Sakusa hesitates before telling him to rest up. Sakusa’s back was facing the one camera that was filming, so the cameras couldn’t see his face either, not the way Atsumu could. Atsumu watched unspoken words pass over Sakusa’s face, the understanding that flickered over his face like a flame. </p><p>But Sakusa doesn’t say anything of the comforting sort. Instead, he leaves Atsumu alone in the corridor at close to three in the morning with nothing but a box of tissues, a bottle of water and two granola bars. Atsumu watches his back disappear back into the practice room for his team and stifles the fresh urge to cry anew. He doesn’t have enough tears left in him to let out anymore.</p><p>Sakusa was the one who knew the camera was there, so he shouldn’t have said more, spewed some bullshit about Atsumu getting better and worthy or what not. Instead he leaves with two measly words and the moment gets entirely edited out of the final footage for episode 6 sheerly because of how anticlimactic it was. Nobody in the world will ever see Sakusa towering over Atsumu’s curled up form with tissues in his hands and nobody will ever see the way Atsumu’s expression had cracked open in honest, vulnerable <em>grief</em> as he desperately chugged down the bottle of water afterwards. </p><p>Nobody will ever see the look on Sakusa’s face except Atsumu, the one that Sakusa made when <em>I know, I know how you feel and I’m here</em> was on the tip of his tongue and the aborted, stilted motion he made as he almost reached for Atsumu.</p><p>The scoreboard moves up 28-27 in favor of Sakusa in the dead of night, when Atsumu’s watching the door to the practice room swing behind Sakusa’s disappearing form. For the first time, the cameras aren’t privy to the addition of a new point.</p>
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</div><p>TAG: PD101JP · posted by JAPAN101 <em>2 hours ago</em></p><p>
  <b>PRODUCE 101 JAPAN EPISODE 6 - DISCUSSION</b>
</p><p>Welcome to the discussion thread for the sixth episode of Produce 101 Japan! How was this week’s episode for you after all the trainees were given ranks? Content that spoils the next episodes needs to be spoiler tagged, otherwise, go wild!</p><p>SUMMARY OF EPISODE 6: The position evaluations commence! Trainees are given the chance to pick their song from their preferred position based on rank and twelve groups were formed that way. The audience will be given the chance to vote for a single trainee from each group and the trainee with the most votes in each group will have a chance to become overall winner in their position to win an extra 80,000 votes. The first four performances were also shown: Wherever you are [VOCAL], Electric Kiss [DANCE], Talk (Remix) [RAP], Over the Top [DANCE]. </p><p> </p><p>[457 comments]</p><p><br/>
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  <p>whysolonely · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>wild wild wild is so stacked lmao i just know they’re all going end up cancelling each other out in terms of votes. Bokuto, Ushijima AND Kiryuu?? this is such a disaster i’m getting get ugly flashbacks. </p>
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  <p>&gt; stay peachy · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>GET UGLY FLASHBACKS OH MY GOD THAT WAS THE WAR NEVER AGAIN!! Bokuto sweetie i’m so sorry they’re going to snipe you like this ://// Kuroo and Hoshiumi are going to end up cancelling each other out in Electric Kiss too I know Kuroo won in his group but how’s he ranked overall we’ll see next week. </p>
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  <p>sweaterpaws · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>i DID NOT expect it when Atsumu picked vocal lmao and he even picked the one chinese song?? i wonder what he’s thinking but then he reveals that he likes romance movies??? i feel like everything i’ve ever known about him just got flipped upside down lmao but in a good way?? watching the five of them cry over the movie was so funny and sad at the same time i was not ready to see Atsumu cry that much.</p>
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  <p>&gt; shuo ni ai wo · 49 minutes ago</p>
  <p>Yeah I really wasn’t expecting ATSUMU of all people to pick vocal. I thought he would definitely pick dance or something. In fact I had him pegged for electric kiss but guess he just keeps surprising all of us week after week</p>
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  <p>Natsume · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>Most of my predictions about who would pick which song was correct, but Sakusa really surprised me. Osamu too, if I’m being honest. I thought they’d both go to WILD WILD WILD but Osamu picking the billie eilish song was really shocking? Seems like their group is really messy though in the practice bits where Oikawa and Kageyama fought over center?? Sakusa picking good thing was surprising too, I thought he would have gone for a more masculine song. </p>
  <p>[EDIT:] rip oikawa lmao his ranking’s going down bc of the footage of him sort of insulting kageyama Osamu honey i’ll get you out of there</p>
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  <p>DitzyDaizy · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>OKAY lemme talk about the four groups that did perform this week. </p>
  <p>Wherever you are: I was NOT ready to hear Hinata’s vocals. His vocals are very energetic and perfect for this song, I’m glad they made him center! Everybody else in the group really contributed too and I think Moniwa’s high note should have gotten him first place in the group. It was a shame about Maruyama’s voice cracking but he was really professional about it so I hope he doesn’t beat himself up over it.</p>
  <p>Electric Kiss: I’m honestly very surprised they aired this performance this week, considering how many high ranking trainees there are. Nonetheless, this performance was EXCELLENT and Kuroo and Hoshiumi actually bounced off each other really well. Nobody made any mistakes and Kuguri really stood out during this stage to me. I hope all of them can make it into the next round!</p>
  <p>Talk (Remix): KAWANISHI!! I love him and was not expecting him to have such a nice rapping voice, but he is definitely the ace of this stage for me. Kindaichi did really well too and Teradomari’s verse was SO GOOD. All of them had insane flow and I’m actually hoping Kawanishi will manage to win the rap position because it might get him more votes for the next round.</p>
  <p>Over The Top: This was so cute!!!!! Goshiki was the shining star of this stage, front and center. I’m starting to become very fond of him so maybe this finally solidifies his spot in top 11. His ranking has been rising very rapidly the past few episodes. This stage was cutesy and the perfect ending to the episode and I very much enjoyed Chigaya and Sakunami’s dance break!</p>
  <p>The stages I’m most looking forward to is A Kind Of Sorrow (because who would have expected Miya Atsumu to pick that song?) and You Should See Me In A Crown (haha you can tell that i love the twins) even though there’s drama going in that group</p>
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  <p>&gt; SODALITE · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>I agree with your analysis so much! I’m looking forward to Yes or No (Kita is my first pick), Lemon (Semi and Komori?? sign me up) and Good Thing (rumors that they performed in HEELS?). </p>
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  <p>giddyupdeobi · 58 minutes ago</p>
  <p>What is even going on in the you should see me in a crown group??? From what I understand Oikawa was kind of rude to Kageyama right? Osamu looked so done on the sidelines in the whole fight?? I read that Oikawa’s ranking was dropping because of this?? I’m so confused?????</p>
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</div><b>Mika wants Kuroo to Debut</b> @marryless · 2 hours ago<p>KUROO WORLD DOMINATION!!! I CAN’T BELIEVE HE BEAT HOSHIUMI LMAO KING SHIT</p><p> </p><p><b>sprinkles</b> @levly · 39 minutes ago</p><p>Kita helping Lev during the training for yes or no,,, i’m so soft,, please give me more of these two I want all of their interactions framed in a museum</p><p> </p><p><b>min!</b> @breadtoorus · 1 hour ago</p><p>oh god oikawa sweetie…. no….. he wasn’t even that mean he just made one comment y’all are so sensitive for no reason??? watching his ranking drop is actually making me so mad.</p><p> </p><p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 17 minutes ago</p><p>ATSUMU PICKING VOCAL LMAO I CALLED IT I CAN’T TO HEAR HIM PERFORM NEXT WEEK SEEING HIM CRY REALLY HURT MY HEART SO MUCH :(((( BABY IT’LL BE FINE</p>
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</div>Face plastered with makeup, Atsumu carefully tips his bottle of honey water an inch above his mouth, mindful not to smudge the lipstick. He watches the blurry figures of the WILD WILD WILD team on stage through the web of screens that take up the wall, technicians scuttling about to adjust the volume of the music and fuss over the camera angles.<p>His mic blew out on him earlier in rehearsal, fizzling out halfway through their filmed rehearsal. At least it wasn’t during the live performance, he would have died of mortification if it happened in the middle of a lyric and Osamu would have fuel to laugh at him for the next foreseeable century. </p><p>Silver linings, silver linings. Atsumu will take any sort of victory he can get and waiting for the sound crew to get him a new mic instead of having it crackle during the performance was much preferred. On the tiny rectangle of the screen, he watches the group on stage get the okay from the staff. </p><p>They file backstage, faces dropping from perfect smiles back to exhaustion. And there’s Bokuto, bounding over to bump shoulders with him. They’re making this team wear some ridiculous shirtless, loose pants and harness combination. That’s more of Bokuto’s chest than he ever needs to see in his life and Atsumu averts his eyes from the way the body paint is meant to accentuate every single dip and curve on his body. Sakusa was one thing, but <em>Bokuto</em>?</p><p>“Mic issues,” he explains simply, waving Bokuto away with nothing more than a warning to make sure he drank some water. Bokuto pouts but downs the contents of his water bottle under Atsumu’s critical eye. In a competition like this, it was the people sitting on top of the pyramid that had the most to lose. </p><p>Atsumu’s seen Hoshiumi in the adjacent practice room at five in the morning, sweat dripping off his body as he goes through the motions of a dance he already knows. Atsumu’s heard Oikawa force the contents of his stomach back up after dinner, standing outside the washroom. Atsumu knows that Bokuto is trying to dehydrate so he can look better on stage because Bokuto’s water bottle is still full.</p><p>Monsters, the lot of them. But Atsumu only sees and hears and knows these things because he’s done them himself, so he has no room to judge. He used to have a big appetite, but five years of eating convenience store food has taught him otherwise.</p><p>The next group gets cued to come in and the stage crew returns with a new microphone, bowing to Atsumu in apology. He smiles his idol smile just to watch her turn a little starstruck before turning to leave. There were no cameras here, backstage, but being an idol wasn’t something you could just turn on and off, it was something that haunted you for every waking moment.</p><p>Atsumu clears his throat, feeling the dry burn in his throat. Fuck, he’ll probably have to pop two of those herbal pills Osamu likes so much before going on stage. They make him feel a little woozy, but that was better than his voice failing on him. Well, woozier. Atsumu’s slept maybe four hours in the past two days, so it’s not like he’s winning any awards for health any time soon.</p><p>He turns to go back into the waiting room, maybe nap for twenty minutes or so before they have to go for a touchup again. His foot catches on a loose wire and Atsumu stumbles, a string of curse words flying into his head. He can’t get injured. He can’t get injured now, that would be devastating. He can’t—</p><p>Somebody catches him, hand closing around Atsumu’s bicep to right him. Atsumu knows immediately by the length and feel of the finger’s that it’s Sakusa. He backs up a bit, an apology about to burst out, but it dies once he takes in Sakusa Kiyoomi in all his pre-rehearsal glory. </p><p>“Omi-kun,” Atsumu says carefully, furiously trying not to sound too choked up, the stupid nickname he made up to get more views on a whim his last line of defense. He’s had five years of acting lessons, he can get through one interaction without trouble, then his mouth runs dry the moment his gaze shifts downwards. “Are those heels?” </p><p>Immediately, he knows it sounds too forced, his accent coming out accidentally. There are no cameras here but Sakusa’s eyes flicker down to him and he doesn’t step away, bracing Atsumu against his chest. Atsumu curses whoever thought <em>stilettos</em> was a good idea because Sakusa’s tall normally, but now he’s just fucking gigantic, taking up Atsumu’s entire field of vision. His brain dulls to white noise. </p><p>There’s glitter around Sakusa’s eyes. Those heels have to be at least three inches, if not four. There are no cameras in the room and Sakusa <em>isn’t moving away</em>. </p><p>Atsumu swallows heavily, stepping backwards to remove himself from Sakusa’s space. He shouldn’t be doing this, allowing himself to bask in even a single second of attention. His head spins in fear. This is really getting too dangerous now. Atsumu should be able to recognise a losing battle before it becomes a battle in the first place, but Sakusa makes him forget the five years of labor he’s put in for the stage.</p><p>Sakusa’s eyes shift to the side, almost managing to hide his faint amusement. If Atsumu wasn’t trying to recover basic brain function he’d be just a little offended. “You should watch where you’re going.” </p><p>Atsumu glances at him again, taking in the rest of his outfit. Fuck, Sakusa’s searches are going to crazy after this. Atsumu makes a note to interact with Sakusa in some capacity once the cameras start rolling after researhal for the cheap boost in his ratings. His stomach turns at the prospect, at having to look at this fake version of Sakusa who smiles comfortably and doesn’t flinch away from touch.</p><p>“Try and be more careful,” Sakusa chastises, deliberately ignoring Atsumu’s lack of intelligent response. He has this look on his face. Atsumu knows this look, it’s the one Sakusa directed at the cameras effortlessly during the killing part of their performance for Chain. Just a hint of a smirk, with the perfect balance of brazen confidence and mysterious seduction. </p><p>Atsumu’s seen Sakusa in the dead of night, fatigue dragging his every move. He’s seen Sakusa’s face screw up in disgust and disdain and annoyance and irritation and every other negative emotion in the book. He’s seen unspoken words flicker over Sakusa’s face as he offers a box of tissues and a bottle of water. There’s absolutely no reason why Atsumu should find him so attractive, but he can’t stop his heart from lurching at the look anyways.</p><p>Sakusa should only smile like that for the cameras. There are no cameras here backstage, just bustling make-up artists and stage crew members rushing around. There are no cameras and Sakusa is giving him that goddamn look and Atsumu is on the edge of tearing his own hair out because what does it mean? What does it mean if Sakusa starts actually <em>looking</em> at him?</p><p>Somebody calls for Sakusa and the moment is broken, Sakusa moving past him in a flurry of glitter and lustre. Atsumu takes a deep breath. When he opens his eyes again, he is an idol again, perfect and without a single crack. Atsumu exhales and feels the stardust in his lungs crackle. This needs to stop.</p><p>Four hours later, Atsumu grins when Sakusa’s team enters after their performance, stepping out of his seat to hug Sakusa. Sakusa accepts it without question and the moments trends on twitter after the episode drops. But pressed against Sakusa’s heartbeat, Atsumu thinks <em>oh, you’re human too</em> in a moment of weakness. They pull away, opposing magnetic forces repelling each other. </p><p>Sakusa’s eyes are dark, piercing. He doesn’t see through Atsumu, he looks right at him. Something about that notion sparks terror and thrill in him simultaneously. Atsumu’s heart skips double time in his chest when Sakusa pats his arm, sending him off to prepare for his stage and he curses himself out. Sakusa can’t do this to him, turn him weak, turn him—</p><p>Human. </p><p>“Don’t forget your lines,” Sakusa tells him, meaningful in its simplicity.</p><p>“Who do you take me for?” Atsumu replies thickly, following the rest of his group out. In his pocket, he retrieves the two pills Osamu passed him earlier and swallows them dry, rejuvenating his vocal cords like oil in a cogged machine. He can feel Sakusa’s gaze on him as he leaves for the stage. Atsumu walks away without looking back. Atsumu counts it as a relief that he cannot see Sakusa’s expression as he exits.</p>
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</div><b>[TRENDING] OUR TOP FIVE MOMENTS FROM PRODUCE 101 JAPAN EPISODE SEVEN</b><p>
  <em>Posted August 15th, 2019</em>
</p><p>The newest season of Produce 101 Japan is certainly a surprise with bountiful talented trainees! The the last episode, the other eight performances was shown, and the top trainees from each position were revealed: Miya Atsumu from vocals, Sakusa Kiyoomi from dance and Kita Shinsuke from rap! We’re here to recount our top five favourite moments from the latest episode of the exciting survival show for you!</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>5. Miya Osamu’s ending fairy shot</b>
</p><p>The Miya twins did not come to play this week! Miya Osamu stunned all of us by winning in his team for “You Should See Me In A Crown” by Billie Eilish, beating out both Oikawa Tooru and center Kageyama Tobio who had lots of drama going on in their practice montages! His ending shot is particularly memorable, with his hands raised to his head like he was putting on a crown and the smirk he gave made the audience scream! He ranked second overall in the dance category, losing out only to Sakusa Kiyoomi and he sure put up a fight for it!</p><p>
  <b>4. Lemon team’s all-rounded performance</b>
</p><p>Everybody in the lemon team deserves a shout-out for their superb performance. Semi Eita as center was something none of us knew he needed until his soulful voice rang out in the bridge. All five members of this song stood out in equal manners and they came second in the vocal category. We loved it when they came off the stairs and did a short dance at the end of it with Komori Motoya in the center, shocking all of us! The mentors all had very nice things to say about this stage, so they should be very proud of themselves!</p><p>
  <b>3. Kita Shinsuke’s heartbreaking rap</b>
</p><p>Kita Shinsuke is sure to be a dark horse in this competition. At first glance, he doesn’t seem to stand out much, but he will quickly prove you wrong with his fiery rap! The contrast between his caring, attentive role of leader during training and how serious he becomes once he steps on stage is just amazing to see! Netizens have been praising him for helping Haiba Lev with his pronunciation, giving endless advice to the younger trainee who has only been practicing for a few months. He delivers a fast-paced rap on stage, telling others not to look down on him and how much performing has become part of his routine.</p><p>
  <b>2. Sakusa Kiyoomi’s drop… in heels!</b>
</p><p>Do we even need to say more? I think we were all screaming when the team for Good Thing came sauntering out in heels with Sakusa Kiyoomi in the lead. It was already surprising when he chose this song, but they really knocked this performance out of the park! Sakusa’s killing part included a drop to the floor, stunning all of us. I don’t think the audience has ever screamed so loud as when he turned around and just went straight to the ground! Suna Rintarou and Akaashi Keiji of the same group are also to be commended for their performances. Sakusa won the dance category to nobody’s surprise, winning himself a hefty bounty of bonus votes!</p><p>
  <b>1. Miya Atsumu’s heartbreaking high note</b>
</p><p>I think it came as a shock to all of us when Miya Atsumu chose to sing instead of dance, but his adorable embarrassment at admitting he was actually a fan of romance movies has us all swooning over him! We’ve never heard him properly showcase his vocals before, so he certainly showed a different side of his talents when he started the song with his perfect vocals! This team had the whole arena in tears, but it was Miya Atsumu’s soulful and beautiful high note that left everybody in awe. Since the release of the performance, Miya Atsumu’s ranking has risen on the global rankings up to first, surpassing even the seemingly unbeatable Hoshiumi Kourai. His individual fancam has garnered over three million views on youtube, making him a front runner!</p><p> </p><p>That was our top five moments from episode seven of Produce 101 japan. What do you think? Next episode will be another elimination episode, leaving us with only 35 trainees in the competition. Time sure moves fast, we’ll catch you at the next episode!</p><p>[Tags: Produce 101, Produce 101 Japan, Miya Osamu, Semi Eita, Komori Motoya, Kita Shinsuke, Haiba Lev, Sakusa Kiyoomi, Suna Rintarou, Akaashi Keiji, Miya Atsumu]</p>
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</div><b>【宮 侑 (MIYA ATSUMU)】 | A-LIN♬A KIND OF SORROW INDIVIDUAL FANCAM | PRODUCE 101 JAPAN</b><p>3,657,349 views · 17 Aug 2018</p><p>984k likes | 11k dislikes | Share</p><p> </p><p>[3275 Comments]</p><p> </p><p>PARADIXE · 4 hours ago</p><p>ATSUMU MY BOY WHO HURT YOU</p><p>4.7k likes | reply</p>
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  <p>chillichicken · 3 hours ago</p>
  <p>SERIOUSLY LIKE WHO BROKE YOUR HEART BABY I’LL FIGHT THEM FOR YOU</p>
  <p>1.5k likes | reply</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>Kitty 101 · 2 hours ago</p><p>I never knew he was such a good vocal?? this is INSANE he skyrocketed to the top of my picks list after this??? When he hit that high note at 2:30 I was literally shaking in my seat???? </p><p>3.5k likes | reply</p><p> </p><p>Kiyo Kiyo · 5 hours ago</p><p>2:30 thank me later</p><p>3.3k likes | reply</p>
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  <p>xuxirolls · 3 hour ago</p>
  <p>THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE</p>
  <p>1.2k likes | reply</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>Frog Hao · 4 hours ago</p><p>DAMN can this guy pack EMOTION into his voice!! seems like watching the movie really helped them thrive lmao i mean there were 800 live audience and atsumu got 314 votes for himself which is even more than sakusa in dance and kita in rap???</p><p>2.6k likes | reply</p>
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</div>When Sakusa walks into the practice room five minutes after him, neither of them say anything. Sure, Atsumu goes to greet him and Sakusa fakes a laugh as they sit side by side cross-legged on the floor, leaning into him, but neither of them really <em>say</em> anything.<p>“Not you again,” Atsumu whines, pushing at Sakusa’s shoulder good-naturedly for the cameras. Neither of them even had a choice this time, they were both voted into this group by the faceless mass who watched their every move with each episode that was released. It was just their luck that none of the monster trio was in the same group, or else they’d risk being outshone.</p><p>Sakusa? Atsumu can deal with Sakusa. As far as the world was concerned they were practically best friends at this point, inseparable during the competition. The footage of Atsumu peeking into the Good Thing training room and Sakusa’s face breaking out into a smile once he spotted Atsumu was still the most searched GIF in conjunction to their names right now. </p><p>INARI sent him a message through the staff a few days ago, with a chart tracking his ratings and what inflated them to skyrise levels. The data doesn’t lie, his searches go wild with each aired interaction with Sakusa, so the thinly veiled warning was received loud and clear: stick close to Sakusa Kiyoomi.</p><p>So here Sakusa is, Atsumu’s walking and talking ticket to debut, curling an arm around his shoulder as they wait for the rest of their teammates. Sakusa’s hand is a heavy weight on Atsumu’s shoulder and that—that says something. That says <em>I’m glad you’re here</em> and Atsumu forces back the urge to flee, leaning into the warmth that Sakusa provides for the cameras.</p><p>Sakusa’s gotten better at this, at keeping miniscule distance without making it obvious. He wears an extra layer in the form of a windbreaker, keeping their skin from directly touching, but he still leans close enough for Atsumu to feel the hot puff of his breath. Atsumu isn't a beginner at this game, so he does exactly as INARI wants him to and stays as close as possible.</p><p>Hirugami walks in the room five, ten minutes later grinning as they meet eyes. Atsumu resolutely ignores how difficult it has become to push away from Sakusa to go greet him, the 13 on Hirugami’s shirt a bittersweet farewell to the time when he would have been the 6 conjoining Atsumu’s 5 and Sakusa’s 7. He’s not the only one to drop ranks. Kiryuu Wakatsu and Kozume Kenma both have dropped out of the top 11 in a fell swoop, making way for Akaashi Keiji and surprisingly enough, Kita. </p><p>The next rankings will be interesting. Atsumu’s heard through the grapevine that Oikawa’s steady top 3 rank was dropping faster than you can say <em>scandal</em>, some sort of drama with Kageyama Tobio that aired last episode dragging him from the limelight. </p><p>Idol life was like that, temporary and fleeting. One day you’re the shining star of the nation and the next you could be worse than gutter trash, judged by the world. It doesn’t matter what your intentions were, as long as your actions can be twisted to fit a narrative, they will be. Atsumu can’t afford to make a single mistake, not when he wants to be an idol, which is why whatever this is with Sakusa has to stop before it becomes a mistake he can’t recover from.</p><p>Speaking of Kageyama, he was walking into the practice room now, bowing awkwardly to the three of them. Atsumu actually kind of likes him, even if they’ve barely interacted in reality besides passing words of congratulations after each performance. Kagayama’s another regular of the late night practicing club, not that there were many of them who weren’t. Atsumu’s bumped into him in the corridors of the training rooms at some ungodly hour in the morning more than once, exchanging curt nods.</p><p>They’ve had exactly one conversation before, standing in front of the water dispensers. The one that was loaded up had just ran out of water when Kageyama was halfway through refilling his bottle, spluttering out. Atsumu took one look at Kageyama’s face frozen in weariness as his fingers slowly let go of the tab and stepped up to help him reload the machine.</p><p>Neither had said much other than Kageyama thanking him after they were done and Atsumu waving him off, but Kageyama had offered a genuine “good luck, Miya-san” as he walked away, leaving Atsumu’s eyes to trail after him as he cut an impressive figure of black, heading back to his practice room.</p><p>Kageyama’s probably going to debut too, looking at his rankings so far. Atsumu’s never heard of KRSN Entertainment in his life before this show, so it means that Kageyama’s ranking is at least somewhat real, the 9 he wears not entirely a product of his company’s wallet. Kageyama’s certainly skilled too, from what Atsumu’s seen of his performances.</p><p>Above all, Kageyama was born with the one factor Atsumu wasn’t—star power. He drew the audience’s eyes in naturally, even if he barely spoke, he made you want to look at him. Atsumu watches Kageyama fiddle with the hem of his shirt now and some sort of envy burns in him.</p><p>But envy gets him nowhere. His five years of experience does, so Atsumu relies on that instead. Forty minutes later he beats out Kageyama and Iwaizumi for center, joining Sakusa as the dual centers for now before their group has to be rearranged after the next eliminations.</p><p>That was another fucked up thing about this competition, how little concern they had for the trainees themselves. Atsumu wants more than anything else to be an idol, so he isn’t surprised at how grueling the competition was, how little time they had to practice and how much they were expected to be able to show. Still, Atsumu finds it bullshit that the program specifically had a round where trainees would start out as teams of twelve only to go through elimination and have their team dramatically transfigured.</p><p>But if he were being honest, it’s not the most messed up thing he’d seen in the past five years so far, so he keeps his mouth shut and smiles at Sakusa when they pin the twin center badges on each other. Atsumu sighs, surveying the rest of the team. A good number of them should survive the next eliminations, but in the end it doesn’t matter to him. </p><p>Atsumu’s had to work for this, the right to stand in this competition. He’s shed so much sweat and blood in the single-minded pursuit of becoming an idol, at becoming more than human in the public’s eye. He was a nobody from a city in Hyogo and he beat almost a hundred trainees for the right to wear the 5 on his shirt.</p><p>More than anything, Atsumu’s crafty. He knows how to turn each situation in his favor, has to if he wants to survive a day in this industry. Atsumu’s no diamond, but he’s spent day after day wasting his life away for the chance to shine and this is it. He looks at the rest of the team once more, at Sakusa’s broad shoulders and the curve of his jaw.</p><p>Atsumu’s throat dries, but Sakusa turns around and Atsumu catches sight of the 7 on his shirt once again. Atsumu exhales, the cold air rattling through his chest. He steels his resolve. None of them mattered, even Sakusa. None of them <em>can</em> matter, as long as Atsumu still wanted to be an idol and Atsumu’s spent so much of his life chasing the possibility of stardom he’s not sure he can learn to want anything else. </p><p>Sakusa meets his eyes, inquisitive at the way Atsumu’s gaze is fixed on him and Atsumu turns away, line of sight back to the clock to the wall and the ticking minutes counting down to another passing day. He bites down the sharp sting of <em>want</em> that swells in him every time Sakusa looks at him and faces forward instead. He needs—<em>has</em> to practice.</p>
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</div><p>TAG: PD101JP · posted by PD101_SUBS <em>1 hour ago</em></p><p>
  <b>[TRANS] PRODUCE 101 JAPAN EPISODE 8 - TRAINEE WARS</b>
</p><p>This week’s episode for Produce 101 Japan featured a segment where trainees could call out any other trainee in the competition with any complaint they had towards that trainee! I think we all laughed when Washio Tatsuki dragged out Bokuto Koutarou to complain about his living habits, or when Tendou Satori called out Kita on being “too perfect”. Here is the youtube link to our translated segment!</p><p>[LINK]</p><p>Here’s a summary of the segment in case you can’t access the link! </p><p><b>Washio Tatsuki:</b> I’ve lived with Bokuto for the past three years and every day is a struggle. [<b>Konoha Akinori:</b> Finally somebody is going to say something about this] He practices a lot which is something I can admire, but he just stacks his sweaty shirts up and never washes them. I’ve seen him wear the same shirt to practice two days in a row and it’s not something I want to see ever again. He’s also so bad at cleaning up after himself. If we didn’t have Akaashi I’m pretty sure our dorm would be a garbage dump. Akaashi, isn’t it hard looking after Bokuto? [<b>Akaashi Keiji:</b> (laughing) A little bit, I have to say, but I don’t mind.] Bokuto, please try to be cleaner in the future.</p><p><b>Bokuto Koutarou:</b> What? I don’t think I’m that bad. [T/N: Photos of his room are shown. They are, in fact, that bad.] I’m not very good at cleaning up, I’ll admit to that. And maybe I’ve worn the same shirt to practice two days in a row once or twice but it’s not that bad! I make sure I shower every day and… okay fine! I’ll work harder to clean up after myself. [T/N: everybody laughs]</p><p> </p><p><b>Ennoshita Chikara:</b> I’d like to call out Semi-san. [<b>Semi Eita:</b> What? What have I ever done to you?] I don’t really have a major problem with him, but I think the entirety of the Lemon group would like to complain about how much he nags. Every morning when we wake up he’ll come over and force us to get up even though none of us even share the same dorm room. Then he’ll make sure we all eat enough at breakfast and drink enough water during practice. I get that he cares but does he really need to nag at every moment? I think I’m going to run away the next time he starts lecturing us about the food pyramid and the portions we have to eat.[<b>Komori Motoya:</b> I wasn’t going to say anything, but Ennoshita-san has a point.]</p><p><b>Semi Eita:</b> Do I really nag that much? [T/N: everybody confirms this] I didn’t even know. Is it that annoying? I’m just trying to look out for my group, right? [T/N: he doesn’t say anything for a while, everybody laughs] I’ll… try not nag so much in the future, but I only do it because I care! See if you can wake up tomorrow without me!</p><p><b>Ennoshita Chikara:</b> I know you do it out of care but it can get excessive! I’ll try and bear it the next time you go on a tangent, because I think we all know you’re not going to stop. </p><p> </p><p><b>Sakusa Kiyoomi:</b> Can I get the mic? [T/N: everybody is already laughing wildly and looking at Atsumu] I think we all know who I want to blast, right? So there’s no need to name anybody, but if <em>somebody</em> would stop being so loud, it would be nice. He’s always in my face yapping away about one thing or another and I just want him to shut up sometimes. He’s also possibly the least cute person I know, but he still always tries to act cute to get me to give him attention or something. Seriously? The most ridiculous thing about him is that he’s just a few months older but he keeps trying to get me to call him <em>senpai</em>. Please, that implies I have something to learn from him and I do not.</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> Why is everybody looking at me? [T/N: everybody is still laughing] He didn’t say any names! It’s not about me if Omi-kun doesn’t say so, is it?</p><p><b>Sakusa Kiyoomi:</b> It is about you. </p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> That’s just outrageous, Omi-kun. I’m just trying to liven up the atmosphere, you know? Omi-kun is so quiet that trying to talk to him is like talking to a brick wall. Secondly, what do you mean by “acting cute”? I <em>am</em> cute. [<b>Miya Osamu:</b> Please just stop talking, Tsumu.] </p><p><b>Sakusa Kiyoomi:</b> You really have nothing to say about the <em>senpai</em> thing? Another thing is the stupid nickname he just started calling me randomly. One day I was “Sakusa-kun” and the next day it was “Omi-kun” this and “Omi-Omi” that. I don’t remember ever giving you permission to call me that.</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> …What? You would have said something if you didn’t like the nickname. [<b>Sakusa Kiyoomi:</b> I <em>have</em>. Multiple times, in fact.] I’ll stop bothering you so much if you call me senpai once. Just once.</p><p><b>Sakusa Kiyoomi:</b> I’ll do it if you stop bothering me entirely. [<b>Miya Atsumu:</b> Omi, we’re in the same group.] Okay fine, [T/N: he sighs] Atsumu-senpai. [T/N: Atsumu laughs and the mic is passed on]</p><p> </p><p><b>Tendou Satori:</b> Okay, I know nobody is expecting this, but I really want to talk about Kita. [T/N: everybody is confused. somebody comments “Kita-san?”] The guy’s practically perfect! He wakes up every day at the same time and has the exact same routine. Every day he comes to practice and he does the exact same things every day and he never makes a single mistake! I’ve never seen anybody actually volunteer to clean up the practice rooms, but Kita volunteers for it every single day! Who does this guy think he is? Why is he so perfect? I just want to ask him.</p><p><b>Kita Shinsuke:</b> I don’t have much to say. I’m just very fond of routines and sticking to them. If I practice hard until I am able to do it in practice, then I think there’s no reason for me to be nervous on stage because I know I can do it. I was voted leader, so I think that asking my teammates to follow this philosophy for a week or so isn’t the most outrageous thing.</p><p><b>Suna Rintarou:</b> The thing is, Kita-san says he’ll stick to a routine and then he actually does it. I’ve been trying to find a single imperfection in him for the past three years and I’ve failed every single time. What he says he can do he’ll make sure he can actually do without any issue. I think that’s what makes Kita-san so scary.</p><p><b>Kita Shinsuke:</b> Suna, you think I’m scary? Like I said, I just really like routines, no much more to it. [T/N: Both Tendou and Suna are speechless and they share a glance] </p><p> </p><p>That concluded the segment! We had a lot of laughs watching this, so we hope you did too! This episode was the second elimination round. Starting next week only the top 35 trainees will continue to move on in this competition. We look forward to seeing the trainees do well in the concept evaluations! We’ll catch you next week!</p><p> </p><p>[329 comments]</p><p><br/>
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  <p>questionable · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>LMAO THE WAY KITA SHUT TENDOU AND SUNA DOWN IS SO FUNNY “SUNA, YOU THINK I’M SCARY?” AND THE NERVOUS LAUGH SUNA GAVE AFTERWARDS,,, I LOVE THE INARI BOYS</p>
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  <p>&gt; bluebellboys · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>i can’t believe he managed to make TENDOU speechless. kudos to you kita</p>
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  <p>nobody_but_you · 47 minutes ago</p>
  <p>why are sakusa and atsumu so damn cute?? like i really wasn’t into the ship hype but with each week they keep making me reconsider like look at the way atsumu blushed when sakusa called him senpai?? and sakusa was totally trying not to smile when atsumu was whining</p>
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  <p>&gt; sorrynotsorry · 21 minutes ago</p>
  <p>Sakusa complaining about Atsumu like they’re not all touchy all the time anyways is so ironic?? Sakusa who specifically has said “I don’t like skinship” goes out of his way to touch Atsumu???? Sakusa make it make sense.</p>
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  <p>&gt;&gt; nobody_but_you · 4 minutes ago</p>
  <p>PLEASE i’m not that into shipping and they’ve got me thinking again. I squealed when Sakusa put his arm around Atsumu when they were the first trainees for Hikari Are what are these two doing to me</p>
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  <p>Magnolia · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>LMAO SEMI GETTING ROASTED BY ENNOSHITA “WE ALL KNOW YOU WON’T STOP ANYWAYS” I LOVE LEMON TEAM SO MUCH</p>
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  <p>Sky_Dancer · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>Akaashi saying that he doesn’t mind cleaning up after Bokuto... you’re in LOVE we get it.</p>
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  <p>&gt; Jocelyn1995 · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>the two of them make me feel so single…</p>
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</div>Even after a week, still high off the adrenaline of performing on stage and <em>winning</em>, Atsumu feels invincible, like nothing in the world can take him down. It’s an addicting feeling, one that encompasses his entire being in scorching heat, turning his head dizzy and his world blurry with vindication.<p>He should have known better. Idols aren’t allowed to win, so Atsumu should have expected it when he gets ushered into a filming room with Osamu and a phone. Osamu’s pale with exhaustion, sweat beading off his fringe. Atsumu takes one look at his face and prepares himself to talk to the staff, because how white Osamu’s face is makes Atsumu’s stomach flip in concern.</p><p>He can lose anything else in this competition, more days and weeks of his life, his privacy, his sense of identity, but he can’t lose <em>Osamu</em>. Osamu responds to his questions a beat too slowly, eyes blinking sluggishly at Atsumu. Fear boils in Atsumu, a new sort of panic he’s never had to experience before.</p><p>Osamu was always better than him, the twin who was born for this cruel sort of stardom. Atsumu was the one who chased and chased to make it to the top of the pack while Osamu picked up everything faster. Atsumu was the one who had to spend every available hour in the practice room while Osamu could sneak out with a few other trainees for some free time.</p><p>Osamu wasn’t supposed to look like this, like he’s seconds away from passing out. The staff exchange looks behind the camera when Atsumu asks for five minutes, because five minutes was all they could spare, and presses his hand to Osamu’s forehead. He’s burning up, but it’s not yet a fever. Atsumu makes a note to make sure Osamu consumes more than an energy drink before they go to sleep tonight, frowning as Osamu shakes off his concern.</p><p>Osamu’s tired eyes are a warning not to break their facade, that they’re still in filming. Atsumu glances at him one more time before straightening his back, his smile back in place. Discreetly, he keeps a hand on Osamu’s back as his brother forces his frail body into a sitting position, giving the makeup artists the permission to swarm closer to fix their foundation quickly.</p><p>The red light on the camera blinks to life. Concern and worry have no place in an idol’s range of emotions, so Atsumu draws up his smile easily, feigning surprise when the phone they’ve been given begins to ring. He’s still smiling when the line goes through and the familiar voice of their parents flood the room.</p><p>Oh. The swell of lingering victory ebbs and disappears entirely. Atsumu’s heart lunches in his chest and he has to fight the urge to curse out loud. His mother’s voice crackles over the line, followed by the familiar timbre of his father. Atsumu takes in a shuddering breath, none of the words he wants to say come out. </p><p>His voice won him the vocal’s category a week ago, won him the whole damn segment, but it fails him now. Between the tight, forced expression on Osamu’s face and the lilt of his mother’s voice as she tells them it’s been over eight-hundred days since they’ve last seen each other, Atsumu finds he can’t say anything at all.</p><p>Atsumu’s cried himself dry before the last performance and he feels too wrung out now to conjure tears again. But his brain blanks into white noise and he can’t help himself from leaning fully onto Osamu’s shoulder, curling up against his brother’s side. He can feel the way his brother is shaking, the same sense of perception and sharp awareness of the camera on them paralysing both of them in fear.</p><p>He lets Osamu do the heavy talking, reaching over to grasp Osamu’s hand in his own. The room feels too small all of the sudden, the ceiling collapsing and the walls shrinking until Atsumu’s world becomes nothing more than a mess of colors and noises. He chips in with comments every once in a while, mindless lies of “we’re eating well” and “I’m doing fine”. </p><p>Osamu trembles after their allotted five minutes passes, hiding his face in Atsumu’s hair. Atsumu exhales against Osamu’s collarbone, fingers clenching down between Osamu’s own. Neither of them say anything, the microphone poised between them picking up nothing but Osamu’s sniffles. </p><p>“Samu.” Atsumu feels something akin to anger, some sort of misplaced rage growing in him. He hates that this is a part of being an idol as well, that they can’t have anything to themselves. Atsumu has been at this life for the past five years, he should know better by now that none of them can ever actually own their bodies, their faces, their identities. One phone call shouldn’t break him the way he does, drives cracks in the mirage of his idol persona until it comes splintering down.</p><p>They stay huddled together until the camera shuts off, the camera crew removing the tiny mics from their shirts and checking over the footage. Atsumu carefully wipes the sweat away from Osamu’s paling forehead, asking for some energy bars and forcing them down Osamu’s throat. They hold hands all the way back to the dorms where they wash up and Atsumu climbs up the book to slip under Osamu’s blankets quietly.</p><p>“Don’t,” Osamu whispers, careful not to wake Kita or Suna. “I’m sick.”</p><p>Atsumu huffs, burrowing closer to his brother until Osamu throws an arm around his middle. Osamu should really have learnt that by now he can’t get Atsumu to change his mind once he’s decided on something, and tonight, all he wants is to know that his brother is still here. “Shut up and go to sleep.”</p><p>Three days later, Atsumu holds Sakusa’s hand as they wait for their results in the second eliminations, the memory of Osamu’s limp fingers dangling between his own a burnt memory in the center of his palm.</p><p>After episode seven drops, Atsumu’s high note for A Kind of Sorrow goes viral worldwide in every single facet of his searches for a solid week. Simultaneously, Sakusa’s slut drop in Good Thing gains him just as much attention from the internet. Together, they frontline all the headlines in every single article that comes out about the episode. #SAKUATSU trends worldwide for a <em>week</em>, and they’d barely even interacted in the episode.</p><p>So stepping up with Sakusa to the stage for 1st and 2nd wasn’t really a surprise, considering how much dirty money ITACHI and INARI must be trading behind their backs right now. Nothing about this comes as a surprise, not the way Ukai jokes about their friendly competition since the start of the show or the way Sakusa takes his hand when Atsumu offers it. </p><p>Atsumu closes his eyes as Ukai spews some more dramatic bullshit about their “fated rivalry”. Instead, he calculates if his popularity will last until the last episode. It didn’t really matter, INARI was sure to be paying out of their pocket for him to debut, but Atsumu had to make sure he stayed relevant for the next few episodes.</p><p>Oikawa’s dropped all the way down to 8th after seven weeks of sitting comfortably in 3rd and Ushijima’s comfortable first-second brawl with Hoshiumi has landed him in 5th. Atsumu isn't an idiot, he’s aware he just doesn’t have what it takes to last long with 1 tacked onto his shirt. He doesn’t have the innate star power that Ushijima and Hoshiumi do, so the best he can hope for is to cling onto maybe 7th or 8th.</p><p>There are a few surprises in this ranking too, like Hinata Shouyou eclipsing Kageyama Tobio to take 7th or Akaashi Keiji’s straight climb up to 6th. Kita’s rank has dropped down to 9th from the 3rd he was sitting at a few weeks ago, Atsumu notices with distaste, eyeing the line Osamu’s 11th was toeing. Atsumu thinks about <em>we can only afford to debut one of you</em> again and turns away.</p><p>Sakusa wins by the margin of some ten-thousand votes. Atsumu meets him halfway, burying his face into the fresh, crisp scent of Sakusa’s uniform. Sakusa gets the chance to speak first, thanking his national producers and saying he’ll continue to work hard. He even throws in a short segment about Atsumu, talking about how much he values Atsumu as a competitor. </p><p>Then the mic gets passed to Atsumu’s hand. Atsumu considers it, the familiar weight resting in his hands. He clears his throat, dialling up his smile once the cameras focus on him.</p><p>“Of course, getting second is a little regretful, but I’m already really happy with this ranking,” he starts with. Classic, mention that he wants to do better without seeming arrogant. In reality, 1st and 2nd doesn’t matter. Only getting into top 11 matters in this competition. Debut was everything. “Of course, I want to show my national producers that I’m capable of sitting in the top seat.”</p><p>“I’m glad I was able to show a different side of myself this week, that I hopefully showed you that I’m not a one-dimensional trainee. I hope that I’ll be able to keep showing new sides of me, so please keep looking at me.” Atsumu smiles, but he has a different strategy this round.</p><p>“Really, I want to talk to my fellow trainees. This is my opportunity to talk to them without being interrupted, so I’ll just point out a few people,” he breathes out, turning his gaze to Himekawa still sitting below the steps. “Himekawa, I don’t know if you’re thirty-fifth or not, but no matter what happens, thank you for giving it your all during A Kind of Sorrow.”</p><p>Himekawa waves at him and Atsumu feels a pang of something akin to sadness despite himself. He’s grown to actually like the kid in the two weeks they practiced together and it was a shame to see him go so early. “While I’m here, I’d like to give a shout out to the A Kind of Sorrow team in general, you guys were amazing.”</p><p>There were angles to this, a checklist of people he should mention within his allotted time to give him as much exposure as he needs. Quickly, he rattles off thanks to Bokuto and Kita and Suna for always being there for him, laughing at the wry grin Suna offers him because seriously? This is the hill Atsumu’s chosen to die on?</p><p>Well, Atsumu’s a committed man, so he’ll see it through. “To Omi-kun, you know I think of you as my biggest competition, but I like to think we’ve become friends as well. I hope we’ll be able to shine together on our next stage together, let’s give Hikari Are the justice it deserves.”</p><p>Sakusa reaches over for another hug and Atsumu indulges him, wrapping his arms around Sakusa’s middle. He hides his face in Sakusa’s shirt once more, if only just so he doesn’t have to look at whatever expression Sakusa must be wearing. Atsumu moves onto the final step of his plan.</p><p>“And, uh, Osamu.” He pauses, stopping for a bit and turning his eyes upwards to force a look of discomfort on his face. “I know you’ve way too hard on yourself recently, don’t forget to take care of yourself, yeah? I know we’re not really the vocal kind, but you know that I care about you a lot, so don’t make me worry, alright?”</p><p>Atsumu blinks a few times like he’s fighting back tears. He’s not, but there’s nothing like tugging on your heartstrings via emotional confession to your twin brother. It’s kind of funny, how this was perceived as caring to the masses. As far as Atsumu’s concerned, the only real way to care about Osamu was to whack him on the head whenever he started to get insecure and force him to eat.</p><p>He finishes up with another bow and a declaration that he’ll work hard to be first next time, then Sakusa leads the two of them up the stairs. Suna grins at him as they fist bump, Kita pats him on the back, Osamu rests his head on Atsumu’s shoulder as they hug, breathing out heavily. He’s still too pale for Atsumu’s comfort and Atsumu lingers just a little longer than necessary for the sake of it.</p><p>Sakusa waits for him at the central stairs, holding his hand out in a mockery of an invitation. “Shall we?”</p><p>“Course,” Atsumu’s smile is only half-fake, taking Sakusa’s hand to walk up the stairs together. His bony fingers fully intertwine with Atsumu’s in a three-second clasp. Atsumu ignores the way his heart jumps at the contact and reminds himself that this is only 34-33 in favor of Sakusa, nothing more. He settles into the seat for a second and ignores the sour taste in the back of his throat. The worst thing about losing to Sakusa is how <em>little</em> it feels like a loss, how much he thinks he can accept second as long as Sakusa is first.</p><p>Atsumu shouldn’t be settling for second, shouldn’t mind <em>losing</em> this little. But something in him is changing, at every morsel of touch and attention Sakusa gives him. No, he changes his mind. The worst thing about losing to Sakusa is how Atsumu doesn’t feel like he’s lost at all, when he considers the real victory to be the cause for Sakusa’s brows drawing up in his tight, amused manner as they walk up the stairs.</p>
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</div><b>Produce 101 Japan Global</b> @PD101JP_GLOBAL · 3 hours ago<p>The official rankings for the second elimination:</p><p>1. Sakusa Kiyoomi<br/>
2. Miya Atsumu<br/>
3. Hoshiumi Kourai<br/>
4. Bokuto Koutarou<br/>
5. Ushijima Wakatoshi<br/>
6. Akaashi Keiji<br/>
7. Hinata Shouyou<br/>
8. Oikawa Tooru<br/>
9. Kita Shinsuke<br/>
10. Kageyama Tobio<br/>
11. Miya Osamu</p><p> </p><p><b>keira</b> @miyukeis · 2 hours ago</p><p>AND KAGEYAMA REMINDS IN TOP 11 JUSTICE IS SERVED</p><p> </p><p><b>lu in goshiki hours</b> @juultomu · 1 hour ago</p><p>hhhhh goshiki’s rank dropped a bit… i’m so worried he seems really nervous when he gave his speech… please vote for him</p><p> </p><p><b>Kindaichi deserves better</b> @kindaimochi · 1 hours ago</p><p>KINDAICHI GOT ELIMINATED??? WHAT THE FUCK I MIGHT DROP THIS SHOW NOW LMAO IF KUNIMI GETS ELIMINATED NEXT</p>
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  <p>&gt; <b>Ennoshita’s military wife</b> @chikirachikira · 45 minutes ago</p>
  <p>ENNOSHITA GOT ELIMINATED TOO WTF WTF WTF PEOPLE REALLY DON’T KNOW HOW TO APPRECIATE TALENT</p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p><b>Cait</b> @kawakxmi · 1 hour ago</p><p>Oh thank FUCK Daichi made it past this round i would have cried if he got eliminated lmao he’s probably not going to be able to survive the next elims but whatever</p><p> </p><p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 2 hours ago</p><p>REPEAT AFTER ME: #SAKUATSU WORLD DOMINATION LOOK AT THEM HOLDING HANDS AND LAUGHING TODAY IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE</p><p> </p><p><b>Ushijima’s toe sucker</b> @nightbrights · 14 minutes ago</p><p>Ushijima dropping to 5th is such bullshit lmao we all know king deserves at least top 3 if his ranking drops anymore i’m going to riot</p><p> </p><p><b>OIKAWA WE LOVE YOU</b> @applemartini · 39 minutes ago</p><p>oh no Oikawa… seeing him cry when he gave his speech was so depressing i hate this scandal bullshit baby please don’t cry we love you</p>
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</div><p>TAG: PD101JP · posted by JAPAN101 <em>3 hours ago</em></p><p>
  <b>PRODUCE 101 JAPAN EPISODE 8 - DISCUSSION</b>
</p><p>Welcome to the discussion thread for the eighth episode of Produce 101 Japan! The second elimination was aired this episode and only the top 35 trainees remain. Content that spoils the next episodes needs to be spoiler tagged, otherwise, go wild!</p><p>SUMMARY OF EPISODE 8:  The top 35 trainees were revealed. Sakusa Kiyoomi won over Miya Atsumu to take 1st this week with shocking changes in the rankings and Teradomari Motoki just managed to survive elimination at 35th. The trainees were also sorted into the concept evaluations group which will have to be rearranged next episodes due to the elimination of trainees from each team. The five songs which they will be performing for concept evaluations are “I’m a Believer” by SPYAIR, “Ah Yeah!” by Sukima Switch, “Kessen Spirit” but CHiCO and Honeyworks, “Hikari Are” by Burnout Syndromes and “Climber by Galileo Galilei.</p><p> </p><p>[528 comments]</p><p><br/>
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  <p>pandaheart · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>woahhhhh the rankings really changed a lot this round. I’ll just point out the weirdest changes to me:</p>
  <p>- Sakusa Kiyoomi and Miya Atsumu duking it out for first. I know both of them went insanely popular after both their respective performances went viral in the last round, but i really didn’t expect them to surpass Ushijima and Hoshiumi lol<br/>
- Oikawa dropped to 8th. I heard his rank is still dropping now? the scandal was NOT good for him lmao meanwhile kageyama is still up in top 11 without issue so i think we know who’s debuting between the two<br/>
- Hirugami, Kozume AND Kiryuu dropping out of top 11. this doesn’t need much explanation it’s just wild how u have constant stables of the top 11 like ushiwaka and hoshiumi and bokuto and miya.a and sakusa then the rest is a free for all<br/>
- Shirabu rising to 20 from 26 was a pretty pleasant surprise, i hope he makes it pass the next elims. meanwhile kawanishi from the same company has dropped six ranks instead, what’s going on there?<br/>
- Konoha Akinori dropped so much? I can’t believe he got eliminated he was one of my favourite trainees rip</p>
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  <p>&gt; rinrinrin · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>I’m also kinda surprised eliminated Chigaya lol would have thought they would have wanted to keep SHINZEN around longer</p>
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  <p>anubis · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>at this point we can pretty much assume Hoshiumi, Ushijima and Bokuto are definitely going to debut lmao. Bokuto being 4 every week is so funny his trend line is a flat line for all eight weeks. I’m also pretty sure Miya Atsumu and Sakusa are going to debut as well, with their new popularity boost. If Kita keeps holding onto his ranking I can see him debuting as well. The duo from KRSN have a pretty good chance as well. </p>
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  <p>&gt; hinatatas · 5 minutes ago</p>
  <p>god i really hope Hinata debuts. I know skillswise he doesn’t really hold up to the others in top 11 but he makes me smile! Also hoping for the best for Komori and Akaashi</p>
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  <p>jade_belt · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>Wait so what groups need new members after the elims? Believer and Climber all have one extra member they’ll need to vote out while Hikari and Ah Yeah both need one right?? Damn the voting out is going to be so cruel. Hikari is going to have picking rights bc they have higher ranked trainees lol i mean you can’t go much higher than 1st and 2nd.</p>
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  <p>Raquelle Chan · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>At this point Hinata is going to be the Sohye of this season and I’m not sure I really mind lmao</p>
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  <p>&gt; raj_mali · 19 minutes ago</p>
  <p>okay but if we’re going to make a comparison does that make lev the guanlin of the season? Hoshiumi the Park Jihoon? Kuroo Tetsurou the Park Woojin? DOES THIS MAKE BOKUTO THE CHUNGHA OF THE SEASON?????</p>
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  <p>knockknock_openup · 43 minutes ago</p>
  <p>I can’t believe i’m saying this but is Atsumu Miya going to be the main vocal of the final group lmao now THAT’S a twist none of us saw coming</p>
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</div>There are things in Atsumu’s life that are constants: gravity anchoring him to the mortal realm, the sun rising above the horizon every morning, wasted time slipping away from him without a choice.<p>And there are things in Atsumu’s life that have forced their way into becoming constants: the alarm at six in the morning, the persistent burn in his throat that won’t leave, the ache that permeates every single nerve and cell of his body. </p><p>And the ultimate constant of them all: practice. There’s no other way to shine, no shortcuts that can lead to the same gleam that practice gives you. Atsumu has spent the last five years of his life doing nothing but practice, waiting for the way he gets the chance to step onto the paradox that is the stage and glow.</p><p>This is no different, this competition. With every second and moment of practice, the cloud core inside Atsumu grows denser, sinking with the weight of blood and sweat in preparation of the formation of a star. He is steps away from becoming a star now, the metaphorical caterpillar in the cocoon waiting to burst out in a splendor of glory.</p><p>So he practices. The elimination left all of them listless, unsure of their position in the competition, but Atsumu doesn’t have time for mundane emotions like sadness or regret. INARI maps the stats of his searches to him and Atsumu watches other lines climb while he remains stagnant. He practices until he can’t remember anything but the muscle memory of the dance to Hikari Are and the imprint of the lyrics against his throat. </p><p>It was all in the balance. He loses center position in Hikari Are to Sakusa and gains the role of main vocalist instead, obtaining the elusive high note. This is not a loss, it is a different kind of victory, what he tells himself for reassurance. Atsumu stays longer than any other trainee in the training rooms at night, outlasting even Ushijima and Hoshiumi.</p><p>Atsumu didn’t have the natural glow of a star like they did, so he couldn’t afford to be anything less than perfect. Perfect smile, perfect voice, perfect dance, his last line of defense against the public eye. Atsumu can’t forget lyrics like Hinata Shouyou and hope to get away with it because that wasn’t the image the company gave him, so he has to be absolute, without mistake.</p><p>There are surprises in life too, things that disrupt the constants. Sakusa at two in the morning, slipping into the practice room to shed his windbreaker and face mask. They meet eyes in the mirror, Atsumu’s fringe heavy with sweat, Sakusa bending into a stretch. Hikari Are tapers out and loops again to the introduction. Like clockwork, Atsumu’s body instinctively begins to dance; like clockwork, Sakusa follows. </p><p>Three in the morning, Atsumu’s legs give out on him and he leans on the practice mirrors, panting heavily. His breath comes out in aborted gasps, his body unable to sustain him anymore. Through the mirrors, Sakusa doesn’t stop dancing from where Atsumu’s dropped out in the middle of Hikari Are, moves sharp and precise as he hits every single beat with vigor.</p><p>Atsumu slides down the mirror, forcing his mouth to at least go along with the lyrics. Sakusa’s eyes are sharp and focused, facing forward without a trace of doubt. Atsumu observes the way a bead of sweat flies off the curl that falls over his face and splatter into oblivion on the hardwood floors, untraceable.</p><p>Sakusa is an enigma Atsumu can’t figure out, a breach of everything Atsumu knows. He draws attention like a natural star, handsome even when he’s not trying. But he does things like this, like slinking back to the practice rooms at god knows what hours in the morning to practice the way natural stars don’t need to. Atsumu can’t figure out if he’s a diamond or just a really, <em>really</em> shiny piece of gold and that pisses him off, draws him to Sakusa like a moth to a flame.</p><p>Sakusa doesn’t stop practicing. Atsumu leans against the mirror with trembling legs and watches as Sakusa goes again, then again, then six-seven-eight-nine more times as the music loops over and over. Sakusa never wavers, blasting through each move with the force of a natural disaster.</p><p>At somewhere around four in the morning, Sakusa’s shoe squelches in a puddle of his own sweat and he stumbles, minuscule, before moving back into the dance like nothing happened. Atsumu has the brief, fleeting thought of weakness again: <em>oh, you’re human too</em>.</p><p>The music fades out. Sakusa exhales, the sound resounding in the silence of the room between the ending notes of Hikari Are and the loop back to the starting notes. He looks at Atsumu, still awake, mouth moving along to the lyrics, pressed against the mirror. Sakusa skulks over to the speakers and turns it off, abruptly cutting off Hikari Are.</p><p>Four in the morning finds them in silence, Atsumu and Sakusa and the camera in the corner like three fixed points of the Bermuda Triangle, held at an impasse. </p><p>Sakusa, next to him, drops down onto the floor against the same mirror, legs coming up to rest. The camera, a halfway mark between the two of them, their only connection. The meter between them stretches into a chasm of comfortable quiet. They don’t look at each other.</p><p>“Did you audition?” Atsumu’s sandpaper mouth asks. <em>Or did your company pay for you to just be tapped for this program, like me?</em></p><p>Sakusa swallows next to him. Atsumu can’t look at him, but he can imagine the way Sakusa’s throat constricts during the motion, the movement burned into his memory from all the times Atsumu’s sneaked a glance at Sakusa during breaks, watching him tip his bottle back to down all the contents of it.</p><p>“No,” Sakusa says, very carefully. He knows exactly what Atsumu is talking about, but they both do a good job of pretending that it’s about something entirely else. This is the basic skill of any idol, something Atsumu’s learned on the very first day of practice he saw the trainee who had fallen during dancing class lift up their shirt to reveal a long chain of bruises in the privacy of the bathroom. “I was scouted.”</p><p>“Ah,” Atsumu hums. That made a lot of sense, even if that wasn’t the topic he brought up in the first place. Nobody ever talks about it, but there was a bias between trainees who auditioned for the company and the ones who were scouted. Auditioning trainees tend to harbor an unspoken bitterness, because while they had to work for their spot, it was the scouted trainees who their companies chased after. </p><p>Atsumu had auditioned for INARI on an innocent Saturday afternoon with stars in his eyes and his body whole, in one piece. He’d left home with nothing more than a suitcase and Osamu by his side two weeks later for the company dorms and never looked back. Then came the five years of forgetting and relearning how to be Miya Atsumu again. And here is he, in some bullshit competition trying to survive another day.</p><p>“Was it the face?” he can’t help but quip, turning his gaze up to look at the block letters of PRODUCE 101 printed on the opposite wall. It’s a fitting name if Atsumu thinks about it. That’s all they really were, all one-hundred and one of them, products. While the nation voted and voted, thinking they were maybe altering the destinies of their chosen trainee, the companies behind the scenes opened up their wallets and traded their assets. </p><p>Sakusa breathes out, the long lines of his face settling into exhaustion. Atsumu’s not stupid, he knows Sakusa is nothing less than gorgeous. People raved about Akaashi Keiji and Oikawa Tooru, but for him, Sakusa was it. He likes that nothing about Sakusa was soft. Even now, hunched up in a practice room at four in the morning, Sakusa was still all sharp angles and beautiful. “Of course. What else?”</p><p>Atsumu huffs a laugh. There’s not a lot about him that’s natural, not the way he smiles or the bleached blonde of his hair or the way he composes himself. But objectively speaking, Atsumu can say he’s naturally attractive. He’s not the sort of unreachable beauty Sakusa or Akaashi are, or the sort of ruggedly handsome Ushijima or Bokuto were. </p><p>But Atsumu has the confidence of somebody who is entirely self-aware. Atsumu knows he’s not the most pleasant person to be around and that he’s brash and reckless, but he will always strive for perfection for each stage and give his all. So yeah, Atsumu can honestly admit he’s hot, if only because he’s only ever had to get his nose lifted a little. Having Osamu probably helped with that, it was hard to fool the audience into thinking you’re natural after you’ve been through countless surgeries getting alterations when you had a carbon copy of yourself.</p><p>“We met at a dancing competition a few years ago,” Atsumu blurts out, cursing himself out immediately after he says it. The camera’s still rolling, so that means his slip-up’s already been caught on footage.</p><p>Sakusa glances at him, fully looks at him. Atsumu gets the feeling of being pierced again by his analytical gaze. “I know. I remember you,” he says very slowly. Then he pauses, like he can’t believe what he’s about to say. Atsumu watches his fingers twitch in his lap like a knee-jerk reaction. “You were... memorable.”</p><p>Oh. Fuck. That wasn’t Sakusa trying to gain another point. That was raw, that was real. Atsumu freezes. This game was far too dangerous to play now, but Atsumu’s in too deep to back out at this point. He wants to, he needs to, he should, but he just can’t bring himself to quit this, quit—Sakusa. “Yeah?”</p><p>Sakusa hums, deep and low. The ceiling fan continues to whirl, metallic thudding systematically ringing out every minute. Atsumu suddenly feels very small, trapped between the four walls of the practice room and Sakusa’s open honesty. “Yeah.”</p><p>Atsumu falls quiet and Sakusa lets the silence between them stretch for a few minutes. They stay like that, back to the mirrors facing nothing, just a meter apart for a little while. Then Sakusa sighs and pushes off from the ground, rotating each ankle carefully to work blood back into his legs.</p><p>“If we go now, we can still sleep an hour or two before breakfast,” he tells Atsumu. His face is set back into the lines of an idol, insurmountably magnificent even in his apparent exhaustion.  </p><p>Sakusa offers him a hand, suspended mid-air in an offer for—not quite peace, but a ceasefire. Atsumu looks at it and considers ratings and searches and games he really shouldn’t play. Then, he reaches to take it.</p>
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</div><b>[TRENDING] MIYA ATSUMU DELIVERS HEARTBREAKING SPEECH</b><p>
  <em>Posted September 4th, 2019</em>
</p><p>Episode 9 of Produce 101 brought the next round of concept evaluations along. This episode showed the trainees practicing hard for the concept evaluations as well as regrouping. Hikari Are welcomed Teradomari Motoki to their group, while Ah Yeah! welcomed Daishou Suguru to fill out their ranks. In the midst of it all, a moment with Miya Atsumu and Teradomari Motoki is quickly going viral worldwide, when Teradomari experienced a lost of motivation after being voted out of the I’m A Believer group and was unable to catch up to the rest of the Hikari Are group who already had a week to practice the song.</p><p>Seeing him struggle, Miya Atsumu sat him down and talked to him. Miya Atsumu is somebody who is always smiling and laughing, so it was a contrast to see him become serious. He took Teradomari outside of the practice rooms after waving off leader Iwaizumi Hajime’s concern to go talk to him.</p><p>In a later interview, Teradomari said he thought Miya was going to chastise him because Miya is somebody who always wants a perfect stage and he wasn’t able to deliver. But instead, Miya asked for an energy drink and gave it to Teradomari, telling him to take a break. Teradomari suddenly went through a breakdown, confessing that he knows he’s probably not going to make it past the next eliminations. Miya proceeded to give the speech which is now trending.</p><p><br/>
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  <p><b>MIYA:</b> Don’t think like that. If you think like that it means your time in this competition is already over and it isn’t. You still have this stage with us for Hikari Are, so you’re not done yet. You can’t think that you’re done because you still have at least one more stage to do.</p>
  <p><b>TERADOMARI:</b> It’s just that, I feel so terrible, being the 35th person to make it through. I don’t know what to do. </p>
  <p><b>MIYA:</b> I know how you feel. You feel like nothing is ever going to work out and that the sky is crashing down on you and that’s okay. It’s difficult for me too. I know our situations are different and maybe you think I’m arrogant to try and compare our situations when I’ve never dropped out of top 11, but it’s really hard for me too, you know? I know I’m still lacking in a lot of areas and I’m a perfectionist, so I tend to overthink everything. This ranking is only possible because people believe in me, so I’m always practicing and practicing because I don’t want to disappoint anybody.</p>
  <p>[THEY PAUSE. MIYA HANDS TERADOMARI SOME TISSUES]</p>
  <p><b>MIYA:</b> Isn’t it the same for you? You got this far because people believed in you as well, so you have people you don’t want to disappoint either. You have people who are voting for you, people who love you and want you to succeed. It’s not easy, being an idol. Everybody thinks we laugh and smile on camera and that makes up all of our lives,  but we’re still people, you know? We’re not infallible and without mistakes, but that’s just a part of living.</p>
  <p><b>TERADOMARI:</b> This competition, it’s probably my last chance. I don’t know what to do if I fail here.</p>
  <p><b>MIYA:</b> It’s probably my last chance too. You can’t stop getting older and becoming less attractive, it’s just how life is. I’ve practiced for five years and I’m still fighting for a chance to be seen. But don’t you remember why you came to this competition? Wasn’t it because you loved the stage? There are limited stages in this competition, in this world. Stages are so precious, chances to be seen are even more so. We must cherish each like it’s our last. I love the stage too, that’s why I’m talking to you, because we still have a stage in front of us.</p>
  <p><b>TERADOMARI:</b> You’re right, I shouldn’t think so much. Thank you for talking to me.</p>
  <p><b>MIYA:</b> It’s okay to feel bad. That’s also part of being human, I get it. Don’t forget, Omi-kun [referring to Sakusa Kiyoomi] and I picked you to be in this group, alright? Let’s aim to do this stage well, Teradomari-kun. Let’s go back to practice, okay?</p>
</blockquote><br/><p>Since then, the moment has been trending on social media, with many people expressing that they feel they’ve seen a new and more vulnerable side of Miya. Miya Atsumu has been a frontrunner in this competition since the very first episode and is characterised by his perfect performances on stage, so seeing him show more weakness was definitely a shock!</p><p>We’ll be seeing the performance for Hikari Are on next week episodes, with both Miya Atsumu and Teradomari Motoki. We look forward to seeing the results of their stage!</p><p>[Tags: Produce 101, Produce 101 Japan, Miya Atsumu, Teradomari Motoki]</p>
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</div><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 2 hours ago<p>oh god,,, Atsumu baby,,,, I’m so proud of him for making it this far please keep your head up high #ATSUMUWELOVEYOU</p><p> </p><p><b>cia</b> @miyagiris · 1 hour ago</p><p>Atsumu’s speech was so heartbreaking? he almost cried by the end of it too… i hope he’s doing okay mentally because he seems so tired now #ATSUMUWELOVEYOU</p><p> </p><p><b>quin for ushijima</b> @cowisland · 1 hours ago</p><p>uhhh I’m not really an atsumu fan but damn this episode really opened my eyes to him.. i thought he was kind of overconfident before but i actually really like him now?</p><p> </p><p><b>gabby</b> @alrightkourai · 45 minutes ago</p><p>tsumu,,, at least he seems like he’s got a decent support system. sakusa was checking up on him after the two of them went back into the room,,, please let those two debut together #ATSUMUWELOVEYOU</p><p> </p><p><b>Ayana</b> @lizardnishi · 1 hour ago</p><p>PLEASE let atsumu debut… watching him say this was his last chance was so heartbreaking :( i really hope he can keep his ranking… #ATSUMUWELOVEYOU</p>
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</div>Hikari Are is scheduled to go on to perform right after Climber, so Atsumu’s there when Osamu collapses the moment he gets backstage, pale and trembling under the harsh stage lights. There’s exclaims of surprise and worry, but Atsumu zooms in on his brother’s slumped over body supported by Suna’s grasp and tears away from his group.<p>Osamu’s face is so white it’s almost green, his breathing shallow and wet when Atsumu pushes a hand up to his forehead. <em>Fuck</em>, the fever Atsumu thought Osamu had managed to stave away is back with a vengence. Osamu blinks sluggishly up at him, voice breaking in the middle. “Tsumu?”</p><p>Atsumu swallows, kneeling down to move Osamu out of the direct glare of the lights and into the cooler shade. The sound crew unhook Osamu from his mic pack as fast as possible, backing away once they see whatever expression’s on Atsumu’s face. Atsumu’s microphone isn’t turned on yet, so he wipes Osamu’s sweat with his sleeve carefully, eyes darting to the production staff gathering around them. </p><p>“Samu, Samu,” he whispers, pressing Osamu down when he tries to get up. There wasn’t much point to it, Osamu drops like an anchor in an ocean without much struggle. Suna floats nearby, nervous eyes watching the two of them and waving away the rest of Osamu’s team when they come closer. “It’s okay, I’m here.”</p><p>“Miya Atsumu, your team is slated to perform next,” somebody says and Atsumu breathes out, resisting the urge to snarl. A hundred meters away, a crowd waits for him to step onto stage and become a star once more, an army of banners and cheering kits and screams. Atsumu is a single soldier on the front lines, waiting to be ravaged by them.</p><p>“You gotta go,” Osamu says weakly, hand wavering as it comes to clasp Atsumu’s own. It’s clammy and shaking in Atsumu’s grasp and Atsumu holds on desperately for one more moment before standing up, fingers slipping from Osamu’s own. </p><p>The rest of his team peers at him and Atsumu exhales once more, forcing down the sudden need to throw up. “Tsumu, I—“ Osamu cuts off as Atsumu begins to walk away and Atsumu whips back to take in the fatigued form of his brother. Fuck, he doesn’t want to walk away. His mind screws into a mess of lyrics and dance moves and Osamu, Osamu, Osamu.</p><p><em>Ask me to stay and I will.</em> “What?”</p><p>Osamu’s eyes are unfocused as somebody prepares him for injection of an IV drip, but he looks straight at Atsumu when his mouth forms around “knock em dead”, the words slurring into each other. Atsumu’s heart clenches in his chest and his breath stutters, watching them carry his brother away to the medics.</p><p>Sakusa is waiting for him when he walks back to his group. Nobody knows what to say to him, but Sakusa pulls him close, palm coming up to cradle the back of Atsumu’s head as he wraps an arm around Atsumu’s waist like he’s the one that’s just collapsed. Atsumu falls apart and puts himself back together in the forty-six seconds they have before they have to go on stage as Sakusa gives him shelter from the outside world.</p><p>Sakusa’s eyes are kind but unforgiving. “Are you ready?” he questions, fixing Atsumu’s mic from where it’s bent out of shape from being pressed into Sakusa’s chest. Nobody ever talks about this part about being an idol, about how <em>difficult</em> it just is, because nobody ever wanted to hear about it. It was better for the world if idols stayed stars and out of reach, just out of grasp, so nobody ever warned them about the ache and the exhaustion and how once you reach for stardom you’ll never come out the same ever again.</p><p>Atsumu’s an idol, not a fool. “Who do you take me for?” Atsumu asks and Sakusa’s eyes glimmer in entertainment. They seperate, stars again. A supernova burns in the empty recess of Atsumu’s body, flashfire energy scorching him inside out. Without hesitation, Atsumu goes on stage and performs his best yet. He doesn’t miss a single beat or lyric and when the crowd underneath starts up a call for encore, he smiles, wide and beautiful and fake and dazzling.</p><p>Atsumu wins the whole damn performance, wins over Sakusa and Ushijima and Hoshiumi and Bokuto, but he’s too busy curled up in his bunk nestled into Osamu’s side to gloat about it. Osamu was too tired to climb up the ladder, so they’d just left him resting in Atsumu’s bed instead. Atsumu wipes the makeup off his face like stardust that night and crawls into his blankets with his brother. </p><p>Osamu’s out cold, so exhausted he doesn’t even stir when Atsumu tucks himself in. Atsumu falls asleep to the quiet sound of his brother sleeping. There’s no filming the next day, but when morning comes, Osamu still passed out next to him, Atsumu wakes up at six anyways. Call it a force of habit, but he slips out of his room quietly.</p><p>It’s dead silent in the dorms, most of the trainees resting up after a long day of performing and filming yesterday. Even Kita is taking the opportunity to sleep a little more, his head of silver peeking out his blanket as Atsumu makes his way to the practice rooms like clockwork. </p><p>There’s nothing to practice now, not when they haven’t been given the details for their next performance, but Atsumu strips off his sweater and plays some music anyways, body moving along to the music automatically. He works himself into a sweat, going through the practice drills he’s ingrained into his routine from the five years of practice.</p><p>Sakusa steps into the practice room an hour later, eyes bleary from sleep. He’s holding his dirt-stained sneakers by the laces and there’s a faint blush over his face. They meet eyes through the mirror, Atsumu halfway through a move and almost tripping. He catches himself, then glances at Sakusa’s muddy shoes again. Struck by the sheer hilarity of the two of them finding each other in a practice room on a day without any purposes for it, he laughs.</p><p>Sakusa laughs too, breathless hiccups of laughter that peel away from him in quiet tinkering noises. Sakusa’s face scrunches up in the ugliest manner when he laughs, so this must be natural. This must be real, the laughter that’s bubbling out of Atsumu without choice. They laugh and laugh and Sakusa pushes his hair out of his face when he’s done, face red.</p><p>Atsumu stumbles towards him, unstable from how much he’s laughed. This is a form of crying too, how much air laughing takes out of him and how his chest is tight with exertion. Sakusa cracks up again once he sees Atsumu’s face, instively hiding his laugh behind his hand. Atsumu has no goddamn idea what they’re laughing about, but he can’t stop himself from wheezing, shaking with the force of his cackling.</p><p>Sakusa catches him once he gets too close, eyes glittering with amusement. He holds Atsumu up, Atsumu’s head dizzy with the insistent exhaustion that clings to him no matter what. “They didn’t lock the make-up ward after last night,” Sakusa says.</p><p>“Yeah?” Atsumu asks. He’s close enough he can’t properly see Sakusa’s face, just bits of his chin and the high collar of Sakusa’s jacket. Sakusa needs to shave soon, there’s just a tiniest hint of stubble around the edges of his jaw, Atsumu can’t help but notice.</p><p>“I think,” Sakusa starts decisively, “that you’d look even more terrible with pink hair.”</p><p>Bokuto screams when he sees them two hours later, Atsumu’s hair bubblegum pink and Sakusa’s mop of curls platinum blonde. Osamu comes to breakfast, supported by Suna and Kita by his side. He doesn’t ask where Atsumu went, because Osamu knows Atsumu like nobody else does, knew Atsumu before he became Miya Atsumu the idol and when he just was Miya Atsumu the twin brother.</p><p>Instead, he drops into the bench next to Atsumu, leaning his head on Atsumu’s shoulder. He looks much better today, even though his body is still warm from the traces of his fever. But there’s color in his face and he has the energy to complain when Atsumu’s shoulder jostles as he eats. “You look horrible,” he tells Atsumu, eyes closed in some sort of prayer.</p><p>“Yeah,” Atsumu snarks, meeting Sakusa’s eyes across the room from where Bokuto was grilling him about his new look. The side of Sakusa’s mouth quirk up into half a smile and Atsumu has to stop hysterical laughter from bursting out of him again. “That was kind of the point.”</p>
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</div><p>TAG: PD101JP · posted by JAPAN101 <em>1 hour ago</em></p><p>
  <b>PRODUCE 101 JAPAN EPISODE 10 - DISCUSSION</b>
</p><p>Welcome to the discussion thread for the tenth episode of Produce 101 Japan!  Content that spoils the next episodes needs to be spoiler tagged, otherwise, go wild!</p><p>SUMMARY OF EPISODE 10:  The other 3 concept evaluations were shown with their training footage. (Hikari Are, Ah Yeah!, Kessen Spirit). The overall votes were then revealed and Miya Atsumu was revealed to be winner of the segment with 105 of the overall votes out of 1000 votes. His team, Hikari Are, were also the overall winner in terms of votes, with teammate Sakusa Kiyoomi taking 3rd overall with 97 votes. Ushijima Wakatoshi was second overall with 101 votes and Hoshiumi Kourai was fourth overall with 92 votes. The next episode will be the last eliminations, leaving us with the top 22 trainees. </p><p> </p><p>[274 comments]</p><p><br/>
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  <p>Minimal_Effort · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>Miya Atsumu’s won two rounds in a row now?? I wasn’t even aware he was that popular lmao I can’t believe he beat Ushijima again. At this point I’m going to have to wonder how much money INARI is paying lol</p>
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  <p>&gt; blackwhiteblack · 33 minutes ago</p>
  <p>lol we all know these kinds of shows are rigged anyways. at least miya can actually hold a beat, i don’t want to have another guanlin on our hands.</p>
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  <p>&gt;&gt; bunjee · 4 minutes ago</p>
  <p>lmao shut the fuck up Atsumu’s actually really talented?? Did you forget how he trended just based on a single high note he has more power in his pinky finger than you ever will. </p>
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  <p>apollon_sun · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>HINATA RANKED WITHIN TOP 5??? I’m actually getting really optimistic about his chances for debuting now he just keeps rising in the rankings!! </p>
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  <p>&gt; hinatatas · 55 minutes ago</p>
  <p>HINATA PLEASE DEBUT!! KAGEYAMA TOO WE CAN’T SEPARATE THOSE TWO THEY’RE SO CUTE???</p>
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  <p>crestfallen · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>okay let me break down the three teams that performed this week and what I liked about them.</p>
  <p>1. Hikari Are: This is a really talented group of really versatile trainees. I was really bummed when Konoha was eliminated from this team especially because I loved the interactions between him and Iwaizumi. But really, Miya Atsumu surprises us every week with just how all rounded he is. I think this solidifies my theory that Miya is going to be the main vocal of the final group lmao his high note is trending again. Regarding the other trainees, Sakusa did amazing as expected. His facial expressions are on point. I also loved Kageyama in this team, his interactions with Miya and Iwaizumi are terribly cute. I really wish Echigo wasn’t so overshadowed by the rest of the trainees, but they have three in the top 11 in this group so I guess that’s that.</p>
  <p>2. Ah Yeah!: I really loved this team and how much they all cheered on each other. A lot of them are in the lower ranks and are at risk of elimination but none of them ever gave up! Kita is a joy to watch as usual and it’s funny when you put all three of the infamous naggers: Kita, Semi and Sugawara in the same group. Daishou also ended up being a really nice addition to the team. I’m really glad that he and Teradomari all ended up being fine in their new groups, because the regrouping system is really too cruel. I also particularly like Yahaba’s high note. I didn’t know he was such a good vocal before this, so it’s nice to see him break through his image.</p>
  <p>3. Kessen Spirit: What is with the monster trio always being in the same group lmao I feel like the three of them are sick of each other at this point. Ushijima, Hoshiumi and Bokuto performed just as well as you’d expect. I was actually really surprised that this team didn’t win overall considering how many votes the three of them got in general, but it was close after all. I will have to say, Washio is one of my picks and it sucks that he was a little overshadowed by the rest of the team. I don’t think he’s going to survive the next eliminations so it’s kinda sad to see him go like this. Other than that, I really enjoy tendou’s facial expressions on stage, he’s really funny.</p>
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  <p>sakuomis · 49 minutes ago</p>
  <p>My prediction for top 11: (in no particular order) Ushijima, Hoshiumi, Bokuto, Atsumu, Sakusa, Kageyama, Hinata (definite), Oikawa, Akaashi, Kita, Komori (uncertain)</p>
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  <p>&gt; irisheilish · 36 minutes ago</p>
  <p>i agree about the first seven! but I’d replace oikawa with kuroo (his ranking jumped up a LOT recently) and i’m not sure about komori?? I like to think hirugami still has a chance lol</p>
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  <p>&gt;&gt; copycat · 17 minutes ago</p>
  <p>GOD i hope hirugami still has a chance,,, he was one of my favourites in the beginning. I’d rather him than Akaashi, honestly. I don’t really get the hype over him.</p>
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  <p>hermine_yours · 28 minutes ago</p>
  <p>god if ur out there please make let Iwaizumi survive the next elims i’m so nervous about him</p>
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</div><b>【宮 侑 (MIYA ATSUMU)】 | ♬HIKARI ARE INDIVIDUAL FANCAM | PRODUCE 101 JAPAN</b><p>2,856,274 views · 10 Sep 2018</p><p>384k likes | 3k dislikes | Share</p><p> </p><p>[2495 Comments]</p><p> </p><p>reality check · 4 hours ago</p><p>ATSUMU HIGH NOTE MONSTER?? 02:56 02:56 02:56</p><p>2.9k likes | reply</p><p> </p><p>artistblock · 3 hours ago</p><p>JESUS this guy can dance really well. I really like how he exaggerates some movements and hits all the killing parts without trouble</p><p>1.8k likes | reply</p>
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  <p>bottledteardrops · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>he’s so stable singing on top of the really difficult dance?? my first pick!!! </p>
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</blockquote><p> </p><p>hemmingway · 5 hours ago</p><p>his five years of training really shows lmao I’ve never seen the guy make a single mistake? according to the episode he learnt the whole dance in four hours i couldn’t do it if they gave me four months</p><p>2.4k likes | reply</p><p> </p><p>imma head out · 3 hours ago</p><p>HIGH NOTE KING!!!! DANCING KING!!! ALL ROUNDER KING!!! THE FINAL GROUP CAN’T SURVIVE WITHOUT HIM PLEASE LET HIM DEBUT</p><p>1.4k likes | reply</p><p> </p><p>nasoyie · 3 hours ago</p><p>Okay if this performance isn’t enough to convince you that Miya Atsumu needs to debut then I don’t know what will.</p><p>1k likes | reply</p>
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</div>By the time Atsumu’s name is called at up 6th, he’s not really surprised. He eyes on the single row of seats left beneath top 11. Osamu’s silver hair is almost blonde under the glow of the lights, perching on the seat for 14th. Atsumu thinks <em>we can only afford to debut one of you</em> and shuts his eyes.<p>When he opens them again, he is already rising from his seat, walking towards the stage. The cameras are on him and only him now, so he smiles the idol smile. He brushes pink hair out of his face and laughs when Ukai jokes about his up and down trend, quipping back that he’s just trying his best. </p><p>This ranking is the last time the companies behind the scenes will get to show their hand, so Atsumu’s not surprised at a few of the jumps. Hinata Shouyou went worldwide viral after a compilation of clips of him working hard to improve himself drops on the official HQENM account. He hasn’t even been called up yet, which means he’s in top 5. Atsumu tries really hard not to be bitter that the kid with six months of practicing experience has ranked higher than him and fails miserably. </p><p>He actually likes Hinata, which is why this sucks all the more. He can take Ushijima’s six years and Hoshiumi’s five years and even Sakusa’s four years beating him out, but really? Six months? Atsumu reminds himself once again that the world is not fair, because Hinata Shouyou is the shiniest kind of diamond and hence will always be able to outshine him even if he wasn’t trying to.</p><p>Still, 6th isn’t bad. Atsumu receives the microphone with grace and grins at the blinking red light of the main camera. He knows exactly what he wants to say here today, spent all of yesterday drafting up his speech for this exact purpose. Stars can fall with a single word, a single gesture, so everything they do has to be practiced, scripted.</p><p>“I’d like to start off by thanking my Hikari Are team,” he begins, pointing out each of them individually. Teradomari shoots him a thumbs up from where he’s sitting, eyes rimmed red. Atsumu raises his fist to his chest at Iwaizumi and gets one in return. </p><p>This competition really is doing strange things to him. Atsumu looks at Kuguri in 20th, Hirugami in 18th, Kageyama in 9th and feels something spark in his chest, something that’s almost fondness. The same sort of fondness that’s been limited to Osamu and Suna and Ginjima and Kita for the past few years, and even for all of them except for Osamu, the fondness was something he’s had to learn.</p><p>Sakusa smiles at him under his mop of blonde curls when their eyes meet, nodding once in his direction. Atsumu doesn’t understand the feelings he gets whenever he looks at Sakusa the most, how much just looking at Sakusa hurts nowadays. Three weeks ago he would have traded the empty ache in his chest at every glance Sakusa shoots him for the easy bare minimum tolerance he felt for Sakusa at the beginning of this whole shitshow. Now? He’s not so sure.</p><p>“I’m thankful for a lot of people in this competition. I’ve met a lot of people in my life, but never people quite like the ones you’ll find here. Maybe it’s because everybody in this competition has the same goal as me, so it makes it easy to relate to a lot of people.”</p><p>“Bokuto? Thanks for always being there. You’re one of the best people I’ve ever met, so keep shining.” Out of everybody in this competition, Atsumu likes Bokuto the most. Bokuto, who was unabashedly bold and bright and unashamed of who he was. Atsumu wants to be jealous of him, at how easily he shines, but Bokuto is just so likeable that Atsumu can’t bring himself to hate him.</p><p>“Kageyama, we get each other, yeah? We don’t need to say a lot to each other to understand each other. Let’s both keep working hard.” Kageyama was somebody who Atsumu came to realise he just understood. They got along in their own quiet way, practicing in their own sides of the training room without words needing to be spoken. Atsumu looks forward to debuting with him, because he knows Kageyama is going to debut already.</p><p>“Suna, Kita, you already know how I feel about you two,” Atsumu laughs, turning around to grin at the two of them. Kita waves back, his smile gentle. Suna strikes a pose in 11th, his first time in the top 11. Atsumu is entirely genuine when he looks back at the camera and says, “Me and Samu and the two of ya. I’m glad it was the four of us, I really am.”</p><p>“Omi-kun,” Atsumu starts and has to take a break, entirely unscripted. Sakusa is looking at him the same way he did when he blocked the camera and offered Atsumu a box of tissues and a bottle of water at three in the morning after Atsumu cried himself dry. Atsumu lifts his head and looks back. “I don’t think I need to say anything. Let’s debut together.”</p><p>“Samu, get back to top 11 quickly,” he says, refusing to turn back to look at his brother. They don’t need things like eye contact to understand each other, not when they’d spent so much time with each other they were partially halves of the other. “I don’t think I can do this without you, so please.”</p><p>He stops there, feigning emotionality. In reality, Atsumu just wants to walk up the stairs to sit in his seat. He’s so tired. Every time he blinks it gets harder and hard to open his eyes again, but he pushes on. This is the killing point of his speech, his final push to stardom. </p><p>“I think it’s really hard to be seen. Getting to stand on stage is already hard in the first place, but still, that isn’t enough. Maybe it’s really selfish, but I want to be seen, I want to be recognised. I want the world to look at me and only me,” Atsumu recites, the words flowing out of him without much trouble. He pauses, then swallows like he’s struggling to get the words out. All according to script.</p><p>“For me, the stage is the most precious thing. Thank you for giving me another opportunity to stand on it, to be seen. I know the people who support me might be disappointed that I’ve dropped in ranking, but don’t worry. I’m not sad about it at all.” He directs this at the cameras, gaze steady and sure.</p><p>“I want all of my national producers to know that 6th is already amazing. I don’t need anymore than this, just another chance to step on stage is enough for me.” He smiles, the heartbreaker smile he’s kept up in his sleeve the whole time. “You’ve all worked hard, haven’t you? You’ve worked hard to get me to this point and so have I, so don’t be disappointed.”</p><p>He bows low, a perfect ninety degree angle at the waist. His tired bones creak with the effort of holding himself up, pain shooting up his spine. But he maintains the position for a few seconds before rising again. “Thank you for looking at me, really. I don’t know how I can repay you all. I want to be a Miya Atsumu you can be proud of, somebody who you can show off with no shame.”</p><p>“I’ll make you all proud. I promise this to all of you,” he ends with a bang, to the thundering claps of everybody in the stadium. Atsumu drafted this speech with this exact effect in mind, so he allows himself to bask in it.</p><p>It’s a lonely walk up to the top of the pyramid this time, without Sakusa to accompany him. He does his ritual hugs with Kita, Suna, Osamu, pausing before Kageyama to drag him in for one as well. </p><p>Sakusa gets called up right after him in 5th and gives a winding speech about control and regrets and satisfaction. When he comes up, the two of them clutch at each other, an island in the midst of a battlefield. Sakusa holds him and in the quiet of their little island, Atsumu imagines the white-picket gates of heaven just out of his reach. Sakusa squeezes him once before letting him go, making his way towards his seat adorned with the shiny 5 on the back of it. </p><p>Atsumu watches him go. Angels fall from heaven when they sin and this is how Atsumu’s going to fall, watching Sakusa walk away with an unexplainable ache in his chest and the sheer, unstoppable <em>want</em> that fills him. </p><p><em>This is enough. This can be enough.</em> Atsumu sits in his seat for sixth and thinks. He repeats it again and again in his head like a mantra until he almost believes it.</p>
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</div><b>Produce 101 Japan Global</b> @PD101JP_GLOBAL · 2 hours ago<p>The official rankings for the third elimination:</p><p>1. Hoshiumi Kourai<br/>
2. Hinata Shouyou<br/>
3. Ushijima Wakatoshi<br/>
4. Bokuto Koutarou<br/>
5. Sakusa Kiyoomi<br/>
6. Miya Atsumu<br/>
7. Kita Shinsuke<br/>
8. Kuroo Tetsurou<br/>
9. Kageyama Tobio<br/>
10. Akaashi Keiji<br/>
11. Suna Rintarou</p><p> </p><p><b>Mari</b> @giddygiddyup · 1 hour ago</p><p>SUNA IS IN TOP 11 MARK THIS DAY DOWN IN THE HISTORY BOOKS HE’S FUCKING FINALLY IN TOP 11</p><p> </p><p><b>vio</b> @wannabeyou · 2 hours ago</p><p>uhhh i’ve been feeling pretty neutral about oikawa since,,, ya know,, but damn if i didn’t burst into tears watching him say goodbye to iwaizumi</p><p> </p><p><b>isa for KENMA</b> @kenmacarena · 3 hours ago</p><p>why does kenma’s rank keep dropping i’m gonna fucking riot he doesn’t deserve 15th baby we’ll get you back in top 11</p><p> </p><p><b>semi eita’s desginated driver</b> @celestial_spams · 14 minutes ago</p><p>SEMI MADE IT INTO THE FINALE THANK GOD I KNOW HE HAS NO CHANCE OF DEBUTTING BUT AT LEAST I’LL STILL GET TO SEE HIM</p><p> </p><p><b>#BOKUTOKOUTAROU</b> @honeytarous · 38 minutes ago</p><p>at this point we can assume that the current top 6 are going to debut for sure lmao none of them have ever dropped out of top 11 in any of the eliminations</p><p> </p><p><b>Ushijima’s toe sucker</b> @nightbrights · 1 hour ago</p><p>at least Ushijima’s back in top 3 there were some hands about to be thrown if he wasn’t</p><p> </p><p><b>kawanishi taichi rights</b> @talkabout · 39 minutes ago</p><p>NOOOOOOOO KAWANISHI,,, THEY REALLY ELIMINATED YOU MY BOY I’M SO SORRY</p>
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</div><p>TAG: PD101JP · posted by shawtygimme <em>1 hour ago</em></p><p>
  <b>PRODUCE 101 JAPAN - DISCUSSION - DEBUT LINEUP PREDICTIONS</b>
</p><p>Now that the show has aired episode 11 and we only have two episodes left (episode 13 will be a live-streamed finale), who do you think is going to debut? I’m opening up a discussion to share your first lineup and your current lineup now that we’re down to the last 22 trainees, and if they’ve changed drastically over the course of the show! </p><p>I’ll start! At the first episode, my lineup was Kuroo, Bokuto, Ushijima, Kageyama, Lev, Tendou, Oikawa, Kenma, Akaashi, Kunimi and Terushima.</p><p>Obviously a lot of those people have gotten eliminated now which is really unfortunate, but with my current lineup is Kuroo, Bokuto, Ushijima, Hinata, Akaashi, Kageyama, Sugawara, Sakusa, Miya.A, Oikawa, Komori and Suna.</p><p>What about you guys?</p><p> </p><p>[163 comments]</p><p><br/>
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  <p>urmyhabit · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>At this point I think the monster trio(ushijima, hoshiumi, bokuto) are definitely going to debut. Recently people have been taking to calling Sakusa and Atsumu the demon duo because of their outfits from Chain lol but those two are pretty much set to debut anyways bar disaster so I won’t talk about those five</p>
  <p>most of my original picks are eliminated lmao so i don’t see much point talking about it, but the other six members are probably going to be a fight. Hinata and Kageyama are probably going to debut in my opinion? Both of them have never been outside of top 11 and Hinata’s ranking jumped UP after episode 9. Uhhh otherwise I think Kuroo has a pretty solid chance of making it too. I can’t believe his ranking was so low for so long and that this is his first time in top 11. For the final three I think it’s going to be Akaashi, Kita and Komori? I’d say Suna but idk if they’d debut three INARI trainees and I’m pretty sure Kita is set. </p>
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  <p>&gt; youcallmemonster · 53 minutes ago</p>
  <p>What about Goshiki? He’s never been in top 11 but he’s been climbing higher and higher. I’d be very, VERY happy if he manages to climb to 11 or 10. and honestly I don’t know why Kageyama’s been trapped in the 9-11 zone for so long. He’s never been outside of top 11 but he can also never rank higher?</p>
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  <p>&gt;&gt; fatima · 35 minutes ago</p>
  <p>oh GOSHIKI. i didn’t even remember about Goshiki. Yeah I’d like it if he makes the team as well. He’s just been so forever trapped in the 12-16 zone idk if they’re gonna keep sniping him.</p>
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  <p>thunderstorming · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>Original Top 11: </p>
  <p>1. Kozume Kenma<br/>
2. Hinata Shouyou<br/>
3. Goshiki Tsutomu<br/>
4. Shirabu Kenjirou<br/>
5. Hoshiumi Kourai<br/>
6. Konoha Akinori<br/>
7. Himekawa Aoi<br/>
8. Lev Haiba<br/>
9. Oikawa Tooru<br/>
10. Iwaizumi Hajime<br/>
11. Kita Shinsuke</p>
  <p>New Top 11:</p>
  <p>1. Hinata Shouyou<br/>
2. Sugawara Koushi<br/>
3. Kozume Kenma<br/>
4. Hirugami Sachirou<br/>
5. Komori Motoya<br/>
6. Akaashi Keiji<br/>
7. Bokuto Koutarou<br/>
8. Goshiki Tsutomu<br/>
9. Shirabu Kenjirou<br/>
10. Oikawa Tooru<br/>
11. Kageyama Tobio</p>
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  <p>&gt; foreverone · 11 minutes ago</p>
  <p>lol ur gonna hate the final lineup half of ur current top 11 probably won’t be able to make it </p>
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  <p>allmightallright · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>i think my top 11 and the top 11 who i predict are two different things lol but i predict it’ll def be the usual top 5 + the two from KRSN and then a free for all for the rest of them.</p>
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  <p>namikira · 49 minutes ago</p>
  <p>I’m going to break down my predicted top 11 and why I think they’re going to debut. They’re not necessarily MY top 11 but they’re the lineup i think is going to happen.</p>
  <p>1, 2, 3: Monster Trio. I mean, I don’t really think I need to explain. They’re literally grouped together in a trio for a reason. All three of them have a lot of experience and have ranked high in every round of the performances while doing consistently well. Hoshiumi has the reverse charm of how fierce he is on stage and how shouty and chaotic he is off stage. Ushijima is quiet and stoic but actually cares a lot, which you can see from how much advice he tries to give the other trainees. And Bokuto is the most consistent trainee in this whole show he’s never been lower than 4th the WHOLE show.</p>
  <p>4, 5: Demon Duo. I’m really fond of this new nickname that Sakusa and Atsumu have gotten lol bc those two PLAGUE MY DREAMS. i still cannot believe they ended up being such good friends lol i guess opposites attract really is true?? But yeah like Atsumu said Sakusa is the one he wants to perform with most so i think it’s obligated that these two debuts together. They’re certainly popular enough to do so. Plus both of them have really long training times. Haven’t they both been training longer than even Bokuto? Both of them are aces in their own rights and are very good performers. </p>
  <p>6, 7: KRSN duo. Hinata Shouyou was just born for the stage I think? I’m actually pretty neutral towards him but with his recent popularity I think it’s safe to say he’s going to debut. At least he seems to be consistently improving and getting better each stage. He’s def not at the level of the monster trio or the demon duo or even kageyama at this point but i think it’s fine if he debuts. Speaking of kageyama, he’s had pretty stable rankings throughout the whole season and the thing with oikawa didn’t really do much, in fact he rose one or two spots, so i think he’s debuting anyways.</p>
  <p>now those are the 7 that i think everybody knows are going to debut, so let me break down my other 4 predictions.</p>
  <p>8: Kuroo Tetsurou: Good dancer, decent vocal, lots of talent and experience. I can’t believe he didn’t get really popular until recently even though his auditioning dance sort of blew up? He’s in top 11 now and i think he’s there to stay. Unless something happens suddenly and his ranking tanks, of course. </p>
  <p>9: Komori Motoya: He certainly had the talent to debut, but he’s unlucky enough to have the curse of “not a lot of screentime”, but the guy was originally an A and he JUST keeps floating beneath the cutoff line so?? I actually really like him even tho he gets overshadowed by Sakusa a lot, so I hope he makes it.</p>
  <p>10: Akaashi Keiji: I actually really like Akaashi and would like to see him debut. I think he has a lot he hasn’t been able to show yet because lots of people reduce him to his visuals, but he seems like an honest, hardworking guy. His rankings been fluctuating a lot lately and it’s dropped from the last rankings, so I hope he can maintain his ranking</p>
  <p>11: Suna Rintarou/Kita Shinsuke: it’s going to be one of the INARI trainees i think? it’s just a matter of if it’s going to be Suna or Kita. I personally think it’ll be Kita because he got a lot of good press before, but Suna’s strangely popular for a guy who doesn’t get much screentime. he kills every performance tho so I guess I wouldn’t mind if it was either of them</p>
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  <p>&gt; nomoretrauma · 21 minutes ago</p>
  <p>agree about this entire list, but I think I’d swap out Akaashi for Oikawa. Oikawa’s ranking is rising a little again after the whole scandal died down, so i think he still has a shot at making the group. Him dropping all the way down to 16th this ranking was a big shock though, all the trainees were so surprised.</p>
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  <p>&gt;&gt; namikira · 7 minutes ago</p>
  <p>nahhh i don’t think Oikawa is going to debut. If anything, Goshiki Tsutomu has a better chance of debutting than him lol. He’s always had good press and he’s sitting in 12 right now, plus the kid is actually pretty earnest and cute. </p>
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  <p>zero_views · 42 minutes ago</p>
  <p>lol is there any point if predicting we all know the show is rigged as fuck anyways. it’s just gonna be the inari and itachi and STZ trainees taking it all. </p>
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</div>There’s this patio in the dorm buildings without cameras, a tiny safe spot off the side of the building not many trainees know about. It was famous for a lot of things: arguments, secrets, tears. Atsumu steps out into it on the evening of the last eliminations and breathes out.<p>Top 22. He’s made the finale and unless a scandal suddenly sparks to life then he’s set to debut. This is everything he’s been working towards for the past five years, the result of throwing away his childhood for the chance to shine. Atsumu’s practiced and practiced and this could be it. This could be his chance, his shot at bursting into a universe of stars on stage in front of the world.</p><p>It’s not how he imagined how it would be, years and years ago when he was still naive and thought that the idols had the power to tell the Earth when to start and stop spinning. But still, it’s something. INARI is probably paying for his position out of their pocket, but isn’t this a payoff of his own efforts as well? Five years of training only for them to throw them in this competition and somehow he’s thriving.</p><p>The squeaky door slides open behind him and Atsumu’s hit by a gust of cold air. He lets it wash over him, the cold sticking to the back of his sweatshirt. In the evening light, Osamu steps up next to him, their shoulders brushing. It’s a pinpoint contact of height, the barest sliver of fabric pressed against each other. Neither of them say anything. </p><p>Atsumu doesn’t look, but the 14 on Osamu’s shirt is the elephant in the proverbial room anyways. He wonders when he started thinking of Osamu like this. When did his brother start becoming Miya Osamu, 14th, INARI Entertainment instead of Samu, shithead twin brother? </p><p>Before practicing became his religion and the insatiable yearn for the stage settled into his bones and made a home for itself. There was the first constant of Atsumu’s life: Osamu. It wasn’t like either of them could escape each other even in the womb and they did almost everything together.</p><p>Osamu was born earlier by a few minutes and Atsumu supposes that he’ll spend the rest of his life chasing after Osamu, never able to make up for those few minutes. But here they were, 6 and 14, side by side, and it was Atsumu with the higher number.</p><p>“Tsumu,” Osamu’s voice cuts through the quiet, striking gold when Atsumu turns to look at him. Osamu’s eyes are looking far away, staring at a distant point unknown to Atsumu and his shoulders are slumped with fatigue. Something about the look on his face terrifies Atsumu, sends a bolt of fear down his spine nothing else in this competition has.</p><p>He doesn’t know what to say. Atsumu’s whole image is that he always knows what to say, but looking at the way Osamu’s unfocused eyes stare outwards in something akin to melancholy, Atsumu finds he has no words at all. Instead, he reaches to press the back of his hand to Osamu’s forehead again, checking for a fever to confirm.</p><p>It’s gone now, but nothing remotely about either of them was anything close to healthy. Neither of them are severely underweight, able to get away with it with their broad shoulders and built torsos, but they could both stand to gain a few more kilograms. Atsumu counts himself lucky that his appeal was never the slim, willowy look some trainees had to go for. </p><p>Osamu doesn’t turn to look at him, still. He breathes out, the force shaking his entire body. Atsumu falls silent, watching the way his brother looks at something Atsumu cannot see, something out of Atsumu’s reach. When Osamu speaks, his voice is quiet but sure, without hesitation or doubt. “I don’t want to be an idol anymore.”</p><p>The floor drops out beneath Atsumu and his world bursts into a frenzy of noise. He can’t feel his limbs, stumbling back from his brother like he’s been struck. “What?”</p><p>Osamu sighs, tearing his gaze away from the distant speck he was looking at, turning to meet Atsumu’s eyes. Atsumu looks at him, properly looks at him, and sees the fatigue and exhaustion that has taken its toll on his brother, at his, “I’m not happy, Tsumu. I don’t want to keep doing this.”</p><p>Atsumu’s breath comes out in ragged pants, his world crumbling to pieces right before his eyes. Some sort of feeling overtakes him, one that tastes like anger but really is just desperation. “And you think I am? None of us are happy, Osamu. You can’t just—you can’t just quit.”</p><p>“Yes I can,” Osamu just sounds tired, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “I’m so sick of doing nothing but dancing and singing every day and getting nothing out of it. I’m so sick of my only measurement of time being how many months are between now and the next time I have to redye my hair. I’m so sick of hurting and being in pain all the time, Tsumu.”</p><p>He gestures at the 14 on his shirt, like it explained everything. Atsumu bites down on the inside of his cheek and tastes the metallic pang of blood. “I’m not going to debut, Tsumu. Don’t kid yourself. You’re smarter than that. They were always only going to debut one of us and it was always going to be you.”</p><p>Atsumu’s throat clogs up with unspoken words, the words that are threatening to spill out of him. He thinks back to the company representative telling him the exact same thing and curses the world. Atsumu wants to scream until he can’t anymore, but his throat is so dry with overuse he can barely make a sound at all. “What about me?”</p><p>He watches Osamu freeze, his brother’s walls crumbling down for the first time since the start of the competition. Even when he was sick with fever, Osamu was still an idol through and through, he dragged himself to the rest of filming for the day, ripping out the IV drip despite the warnings. But here, he was just Samu, Atsumu’s brother.</p><p>“I—“ Osamu cuts himself off, his face breaking out into open grief. “Tsumu, I don’t want to leave you,” he says as he reaches for Atsumu, hands coming up to cradle Atsumu’s shoulders, holding the two of them an arm-length apart. “I don’t think I can stand to lose you, but I just can’t do this anymore, Atsumu.”</p><p>Atsumu feels numb, empty. The world is spinning around him, orbiting around Osamu and him in tilted motion. He can’t say anything at all, not when Osamu is looking at him like this, like he’s in mourning. Atsumu was always the crybaby twin, the one who started crying, but he sees moisture well up in the corners of Osamu’s eyes and finds that he has no tears in him to let out at all.</p><p>Osamu steps back, breathing staggered. “I can’t do this anymore, Tsumu. It just isn’t what I want anymore. I know we started this together, this dream. But sometimes dreams are meant to stay dreams and not become reality, become nightmares.”</p><p>Osamu knows him better than anybody else, so he turns to leave, to give Atsumu the privacy of falling apart. As he prepares to go, he shoots Atsumu one last glance. “You were always willing to do more for the stage, Atsumu. You were willing to burn even if it ate you out from the inside as long as it meant that everybody could see you shining. But I’m sick of burning, Atsumu. I’m just—I’m just tired.”</p><p>He goes. The wave of air-conditioner hits Atsumu again, this time in the face. He can see Osamu raise his sleeve to wipe at his eyes as he hurries back down the hallway. Atsumu exhales very carefully and sits down on one of the patio chairs before his legs give on him. He moderates his breathing, inhaling each breath with vigor. His chest feels tight, but he can’t afford to mess up his body anymore. </p><p>There is silence and Atsumu on a patio, curling up on himself to face the side of the railing off into the distance. Try as he might, he can’t spot whatever Osamu was looking at.</p><p>The door slides open again, Sakusa’s tall form stepping out between the opening. He turns to look at Atsumu, taking in the dry, tearless state of Atsumu’s face and the blankness of his gaze and crosses the length of the patio in two strides to stand in front of Atsumu.</p><p>“Atsumu.” Sakusa probably doesn’t have time to be wasted on Atsumu, but he’s here and he’s brushing Atsumu’s hair out of his eyes so tenderly. “Your brother said you might need me.”</p><p><em>I don’t need you.</em> Atsumu wants to bite back, because he didn’t. Sakusa, Osamu, neither of them had the right to tell the world how to spin the way Atsumu once thought idols could. It wasn’t like Atsumu could stop tomorrow from coming, suspend them in a pocket of time where everything worked the way he wanted it to. <em>I don’t need anybody.</em></p><p>Sakusa’s palms are warm against the edge of Atsumu’s jaw, tilting his head upwards. Atsumu looks up at him and realises that this isn’t just a game anymore. This might—this is real. </p><p>“You can’t control everything, Atsumu,” Sakusa tells him, half his face casted in shadow from the night, the other half lit by the patio lights. “It took me a long time to learn this, but sometimes things in life are out outside of your control.”</p><p>Atsumu presses his face against Sakusa’s torso, hiding his face from the outside world. He’s stiff as Sakusa pulls him close, hands sliding from Atsumu’s face to the back of his neck. “I think regret should only come from things you can control,” Sakusa says above him, his touch feather-light. “You cannot control the way Osamu feels, Atsumu.”</p><p>And that’s the pinnacle of this whole situation, isn’t it? Atsumu shakes, his body trembling in Sakusa’s grasp. Atsumu has spent five years building himself up, scrubbing at every imperfection until they became the polished edges of his smile, his body, his whole self. But there are things he can’t rub raw, things he can’t change about himself. </p><p>You could spend a lifetime making adjustments to the way you talked and walked and cover up the blemishes with layers of clothes and make-up. You can make alterations to your face, your body, your personality. These were essential replacements, practically survival skills. But you can’t change who you fundamentally were and underneath it all Atsumu was just human. </p><p>He doesn’t cry, but Atsumu shudders in Sakusa’s embrace and lets five years crumble to dust around him. Sakusa holds him as Atsumu emerges from the aftermath of a long, long war. That night, Atsumu crawls up the ladder and into Osamu’s bunk. His brother’s eyes gleam in the dark as he holds open the blankets. Atsumu curls up next into his brother’s side with relish. He’s forgotten just how painful it is to be human.</p>
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</div><p>TAG: PD101JP · posted by PD101_SUBS <em>2 hours ago</em></p><p>
  <b>[TRANS] PRODUCE 101 JAPAN EPISODE 11 - VETERAN IDOL TALK</b>
</p><p>This week, the top 35 trainees were given the chance to talk to veteran idol Hirugami Fukuro about life in the industry. They were able to converse with the idol about how he survives in such a grueling industry and Hirugami Fukuro, who is coincidentally the older brother of contestant Hirugami Sachirou, gave them advice in return. Here is the youtube link to our translated segment.</p><p>[LINK]</p><p>Here’s a short recap summary of the segment in case you can’t access the link. We’ve paraphrased a bit due to length, so please watch the video for the full segment.</p><p><b>Hirugami Fukuro:</b> Hello, I’m Hirugami Fukuro. [T/N: everybody claps] I’ve been an idol for the past eight years, but instead of talking I’m going to leave the floor open for any of you to ask any questions you want. I’ll try and answer them as truthfully as possible.</p><p> </p><p><b>Sawamura Daichi:</b> How do you not give up? Sometimes I think that it would be easier to give up now when I am still young enough to do other things, but in the end I don’t think I’m ready to give up yet.</p><p><b>Hirugami Fukuro:</b> It’s about passion. I really, really want to perform. I don’t think I can want anything else. Because I am passionate, I don’t give up. Yes, it is really difficult to not give up, but if you are passionate about something you will always have the energy to keep going. I’ve also suffered difficult times, times when I thought I should give up or just stop being an idol, but in the end, this is what I love, so I keep going. If this is your dream and what you want to do, don’t please, don’t give up. </p><p> </p><p><b>Semi Eita:</b> How do you take good care of yourself? This competition is really fast-paced and I think a lot of us have been neglecting ourselves in order to practice more.</p><p><b>Hirugami Fukuro:</b> Ah, that’s a good question! I think it’s a matter of establishing a routine and sticking to it. You make sure every day you run through the same motions, like stretching before exercise and drinking a lot of water. Sometimes it’s a compromise, you know? You can practice more tonight, but tomorrow you sleep a little earlier. You get really busy once you debut, so taking care of your body can definitely be a struggle, but remember that your fans want you to be healthy too. It’s not good to be pushing past your limits too often, so if you need a break, take it. It’s better in the long run this way.</p><p> </p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> Ah, this is a bit of a personal question, but how do you retain a sense of self? Sometimes I feel like I’m changing because other people want me to be when I see their comments, so how do you be true to yourself?</p><p><b>Hirugami Fukuro:</b> This is a tricky question. I think change isn’t necessarily negative. Sometimes you change for the better, you know? I definitely think I’ve changed a lot from when I debuted. But I think change needs to be something you want. If you read a comment that tells you they don’t like how you look, then that’s not necessarily something you want. But if you decide you want to change something about yourself, even if it’s not exactly for the better, then that’s still a positive sort of change. As for retaining yourself, just remember that you’re still you no matter what. Other people have a lot to say, but at the end of the day only you can be in charge of yourself and what you do.</p><p> </p><p><b>Kageyama Tobio:</b> What’s some advice you’d give to your younger self? Like, maybe right when you’d just debut.</p><p><b>Hirugami Fukuro:</b> Oh! That’s interesting. I haven’t really thought about it. I’m the sort of person who is always looking forward, so I don’t really think about yesterday. But if I got the chance to talk to myself right when I just debut, I’d remind myself that the world doesn’t end with one bad thing. Sad events happen all the time and sometimes you think that nothing will ever be alright again, but the sun always rises the next day and slowly, you’ll be able to move past it. I supposed I’d also tell myself to remember to eat lots of good food and travel to lots of nice places!</p><p> </p><p>Hirugami ended with performing a little of his new song “Eagle”, and we also loved the brotherly moment he shared with his younger brother at the end! He told Hirugami.S to rest well and don’t forget to come home for the new year holidays before leaving. The next episode will be the finale pre-recorded episode and will feature the final 22 trainees picking their positions for the final performances as well as the training montages for it.</p><p> </p><p>[326 comments]</p><p><br/>
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  <p>like_a_zombie · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>Ah, it really sucks that Daichi was eliminated right after he asked how not to give up. I really hope that he keeps trying to pursue being an idol if that’s what he wants.</p>
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  <p>Masterpiece · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>Is it just me or has Bokuto been really quiet lately? He seems really tired and he barely spoke in this segment at all unlike his usual state, I really hope he’s doing fine,,,</p>
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  <p>&gt; shownevertell · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>they actually all look really tired,,, this was filmed right after elims right? I hope they got some more rest after this. Atsumu seemed super tired when he was asking his question as well and when he sat down you can see Sakusa pat his thigh a little? Even Hinata seems really exhausted here he was leaning really heavily on Kageyama at points. </p>
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  <p>Tristan · 9 minutes ago</p>
  <p>Ahhhh icb we got fukuro content,,, and the hirugami brothers content as well!!! We’re just missing Shunko for the perfect fam reunion lol i wanna see all three of them in the same frame they’re so cute</p>
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  <p>oceanman · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>AHHHH semi’s been getting a lot of screentime lately… i shouldn’t get my hopes up but still….</p>
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  <p>&gt; six_feet_under · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>lol my pick’s suga we can always hope and hold onto the 1% chance that they’ll debut</p>
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</div>There was nothing an audience loved more than when an idol was vulnerable. Idols had to remain unreachable stars, but every once in a while, even stars had their limits. It was this exact vulnerability that the crowds ate up, physical proof that maybe idols were humans too.<p>Atsumu finds it ironic that people wanted an idol to be beyond human at all times, but show reminders of their true selves when they couldn’t take it anymore. It was a tall order, to be perfect until you’re not, then wake up the next day perfect again. Idols were meant to entertain, to amuse, to keep you busy when reality couldn’t.</p><p>He’s watched both the previous seasons of Produce 101, so he’s not even surprised when they lead him into a dark room and tell him to write a letter for himself. He knows <em>exactly</em> what this segment is, hiding a grin as he fakes contemplation in front of the double sided mirror. </p><p>Ah, the infamous ghost prank segment. They did this every year, a chance to show the audience that their idols were able to show emotions like fear and surprise as well, that they could play at being human. Atsumu leans close and begins writing with the marker pen they’ve provided him with, waiting in anticipation.</p><p>He doesn’t actually do too well with horror, but was it really a jumpscare if you’re expecting it to come? He gets halfway through some bullshit about how he’s improved himself a lot since entering this competition when the lights shut off. Atsumu closes his eyes in the split second of darkness before some actor in terrible ghost makeup pops up in the mirror and calculates how loud he can scream without hurting his throat anymore.</p><p>Atsumu’s a vocalist and he has pride in it too, so he doesn’t hesitate the let it rip the moment the cameras are on. In acting class, the first emotion they ever taught you was fear. It wasn’t sadness or happiness or some bullshit like that, because those could come naturally even on film. But fear is very rarely real on camera, so it was the hardest emotion to emulate besides maybe shock.</p><p>Atsumu hated acting class with a passion because he never took to it naturally, but he’s still attended all those classes and paid the utmost attention to them. This is a part of being an idol as well, the acting. Most of being an idol was acting, really. The only thing you couldn’t fake was how well you sang or danced, which could only be built by practice. </p><p>Atsumu has five years of practice under his belt, but that means he’s also had five years of acting lessons. He’ll be the first to say he’s actually a terrible actor when it came to roles that weren’t himself, but Miya Atsumu the idol was a role he could slip into without any difficulty like a second layer of skin. This was a role he was intimately familiar with, something that came as easily as breathing. </p><p>Sometimes Atsumu wakes up in the morning at six with the alarms and wonders if Miya Atsumu the idol was really a role anymore or if at some point it’d just seep into him and made a home for itself in his body. Sometimes Atsumu wakes up, disorientated and wonders if Miya Atsumu the human still exists, or if he’d just been consumed years ago by the monster that was the idol in him.</p><p>It’s easy now, to just scream without straining his vocal cords when the ghost actor pops up. Atsumu goes through the regular motions: the widened eyes, the scrambling back, the twitching fingers. Internally, he monologues about how bad the makeup was done and how cliche it is. Really? Long wig, white face paint, red around the mouth and torn shirt in a bad attempt to look like blood? They could do better than that.</p><p>He flinches back when a hand reaches for his ankle underneath the table, only somewhat acting for that one. He says some incoherent crap about the productive crew and throws the marker straight at the mirror to watch the actor behind recoil in something like petty revenge. Then he books it, for the sake of entertainment. </p><p>It wouldn’t do too well for his image if he just came off as plain scared, so Atsumu makes sure to whine a little when another actor ducks out in the corridor, complaining about how mean they were to him. This is getting ridiculous when he considers that the same actors are going to have to repeat this exact same routine for another sixteen times.</p><p>The only real benefit of ranking first was that they could film the annoying time-consuming segments like this first. Hoshiumi’s probably fast asleep at this point, and for the first time in this competition, Atsumu feels a little envy towards him for ranking first and it’s even for a valid reason. Sleep was the elusive reward that escaped them all, only coming in short spurts and bursts when it felt like so.</p><p>Atsumu smiles at the sound crew who comes to remove his microphone and wipe the foundation off his face. It’s a rare night. The cameras around the practice rooms are off because all the trainees have to film the exact segment Atsumu’s just gone through, so it’ll be an early night for him. Atsumu grins and it’s almost real, he can practically taste at least six hours of sleep and it tastes like a victory all on its own.</p><p>“Miya,” one of the staff calls for him, one of the filming crew members who’s designated to follow Atsumu around places to capture his every moment on footage. Atsumu recognises him, he’s one of Atsumu’s preferred staff. He turns off the cameras sometimes when it gets really, really too much and lets Atsumu take a breather.</p><p>“Yeah?” he asks as he twists open a bottle of water to take a swig. He swipes at his face with one of the makeup remover wipes provided, watching it come away smudged beige with satisfaction. He hates the cakey way foundation dries on his skin, but there was no other way to hide the eyebags and acne otherwise. Atsumu’s got a tiny nick right next to his left eye from a childhood accident, but as far as the world knows his face is smooth and perfect, without a single blemish.</p><p>The staff frowns, checking his watch. “Have you seen Sakusa? He needs to return his mic. He can do it tomorrow morning, so just tell him if you see him, alright?”</p><p>Atsumu freezes. He thinks about Sakusa, 5th, a single digit before Atsumu’s 6th. He thinks about Sakusa with his aversion to touch. He thinks about the actor hiding under the table, waiting to give one more surprise and how even he’d hated being grabbed by the ankle. </p><p>He hums in affirmation, waving goodnight to the staff. He’s pulled a muscle in his hip earlier during practice, but he doesn’t hesitate to sprint up the stairs to the training rooms. He passes by Suna, heading towards the filming room, shooting him a confused glance, but he’s thundering down the corridor to throw open the door to the closet in the middle of the hallway.</p><p>Behind the shelves, a mop of golden curls. Atsumu shuts the door on his way in, leaving the two of them in darkness. He makes his way through the shelves, hissing under his breath when his elbow bangs into one of the boxes. In the fuzzy gray tint of the dark, Atsumu kneels by Sakusa’s side, hesitating an inch away.</p><p>He hasn’t felt the need to do this, to stay away, for a long while now. When did they get so close? Sakusa only touches people who he knows and trust, when they start trusting each other, <em>knowing</em> each other. In the idol world, knowing was defined by brief interactions on screen and occasionally brushing past each other at award shows. But Atsumu, presses a hand close to Sakusa’s cheek and feels more than sees Sakusa lean into it. They know each other now. </p><p>Sakusa is curled up on himself, knees to his chest. Atsumu feels him breathe out too slowly against his palm, eyes vacant as they look ahead. “Sakusa,” he says gently, pushing Sakusa’s hair out of his face.</p><p>Sakusa doesn’t break, but he doesn’t push Atsumu away, following his hand when Atsumu begins to pull away. Atsumu keeps it there, warm on the sharp curve of Sakusa’s jaw. Idols spend so much of their lives being built up by the cameras, the cheers, the crowds that they’re almost never ready when they come crashing down. With nothing fueling him but sheer will, Sakusa says, in the dark, “I don’t need your help.”</p><p>Atsumu can’t stop the sudden laugh from bubbling out of him, a snort bursting out of him like a rogue strike of lightning. “You think I’m doing this out of some samaritan goodness of my heart?” he cracks, striking gold when Sakusa turns his head, miniscule, to look at him. “Who do you take me for?”</p><p>This has stopped being a game a long time ago. Atsumu scraps his tally entirely, lost somewhere between the fifties and leans closer, thumbing the corner of Sakusa’s mouth gently. “Nah,” he confesses, his voice soft as a whisper. “I just think you’re real fuckin’ pitiful.”</p><p>A part of him wishes he’d left the door open, so he can see whatever expression is on Sakusa’s face when he looks at Atsumu now. The larger part of him is glad that they’re in the dark, just so he doesn’t. Sakusa is a model idol, a lonely tower in the midst of a battlefield. When you’re that high up, it’s a long way down.</p><p>Sakusa trembles, pressing his face to Atsumu’s chest. Atsumu wraps his arms around those broad shoulders, his knees straining with the effort to hold his position, but rests his chin on top of Sakusa’s curls and finds that it’s a burden he’s willing to bear. “Let me be there for you once,” Atsumu says, as tenderly as he can. “You asshole.”</p><p>“I don’t do people.” Sakusa’s voice is muffled in his chest, but it rings in the emptiness of the closet. Sakusa gulps, the movement heavy against Atsumu’s sternum. “But you. You’re alright. You’re different.”</p><p>Angels fall from heaven when they sin, but Atsumu thinks that he can withstand it—falling. Sakusa comes crumbling down in his arms, shaking as he breaks apart. Atsumu holds him close through it all, the two of the plummeting like meteors towards earth, towards mortality, towards humanity. </p><p>They stay like this, together, an archway of peace in a war, their own personal heaven. Sakusa doesn’t let go of him and Atsumu clings back just as tight. He bites his tongue and thinks he can taste acidic hell in the back of his throat. </p><p>That’s fine. Atsumu’s used to burning anyway.</p>
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</div><p>TAG: PD101JP · posted by JAPAN101 <em>2 hours ago</em></p><p>
  <b>PRODUCE 101 JAPAN EPISODE 12 - DISCUSSION</b>
</p><p>Welcome to the discussion thread for the twelve and final pre-recorded episode of Produce 101 Japan! We’ll see you at the livestreamed finales next week saturday!</p><p>SUMMARY OF EPISODE 12:  The final 22 trainees remain and go through team pickings for the final performances. The two original songs for the debut evaluations were revealed to be Imagination by SPYAIR and Phoenix by Burnout Syndromes! The trainees were given the chance to pick their positions in two teams of 11 based on their ranking, with higher ranking trainees being able to swap a lower ranked trainee’s chosen spot if they want the same part. We then got to see the two groups choose their centers for each team (albeit the final results were not shown) as well as practice for the final performances!</p><p> </p><p>[274 comments]</p><p><br/>
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  <p>randommagic · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>okay for all those who don’t want to watch let me sum up how position pickings went:</p>
  <p>- Sugawara Koushi (rank 22) picked Lead vocal 4 of Imagination<br/>
- Shirabu Kenjirou (rank 21) picked Lead vocal 7 of Phoenix<br/>
- Kuguri Naoyase (rank 20) picked Rapper 2 of Phoenix<br/>
- Semi Eita (rank 19) picked Lead vocal 4 of Phoenix<br/>
- Hirugami Sachirou (rank 18) picked Lead vocal 1 of Imagination<br/>
- Kiryuu Wakatsu (rank 17) picked Lead vocal 4 of Imagination and moved Sugawara Koushi to Lead Vocal 6 of Imagination<br/>
- Oikawa Tooru (rank 16) picked Lead vocal 4 of Phoenix and moved Semi Eita to Lead vocal 5 of Phoenix<br/>
- Kozume Kenma (rank 15) picked Lead vocal 5 of Imagination<br/>
- Miya Osamu (rank 14) picked Rapper 2 of Imagination<br/>
- Komori Motoya (rank 13) picked Main vocal of Imagination (to everybody’s surprise)<br/>
- Goshiki Tsutomu (rank 12) picked Lead Vocal 5 of Imagination and moved Kozume Kenma to Lead vocal 7 of Imagination<br/>
- Suna Rintarou (you get the idea) picked Rapper 1 of Phoenix<br/>
- Akaashi Keiji picked Lead vocal 1 of Phoenix<br/>
- Kageyama Tobio picked Rapper 3 of Imagination (also to everybody’s surprise)<br/>
- Kuroo Tetsurou picked Lead Vocal 3 of Phoenix<br/>
- Kita Shinsuke picked Rapper 1 of Imagination<br/>
- Miya Atsumu picked Main Vocal of Phoenix<br/>
- Sakusa Kiyoomi picked Rapper 1 of Phoenix and moved Suna Rintarou to Rapper 2 of Phoenix<br/>
- Bokuto Koutarou picked Lead Vocal 2 of Imagination<br/>
- Ushijima Wakatoshi picked Lead Vocal 1 of Phoenix and moved Akaashi Keiji to Lead Vocal 2 of Phoenix<br/>
- Hinata Shouyou picked Lead Vocal 3 of Imagination<br/>
- Hoshiumi Kourai picked Lead Vocal 2 of Phoenix and moved Akaashi Keiji to Lead Vocal 6 of Phoenix</p>
  <p>and now my hands hurt but i hope you guys are happy. i’m mostly surprised none of them changed anybody to another song. they’re still nice boys at heart.</p>
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  <p>&gt; random magic · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>oh yeah here are the final groupings:</p>
  <p>Imagination:</p>
  <p>Main Vocal: Komori Motoya<br/>
Lead Vocal 1: Hirugami Sachirou<br/>
Lead Vocal 2: Bokuto Koutarou<br/>
Lead Vocal 3: Hinata Shouyou<br/>
Lead Vocal 4: Sugawara Koushi —&gt; Kiryuu Wakatsu<br/>
Lead Vocal 5: Kozume Kenma —&gt; Goshiki Tsutomu<br/>
Lead Vocal 6: Sugawara Koushi<br/>
Lead Vocal 7: Kozume Kenma<br/>
Rapper 1: Kita Shinsuke<br/>
Rapper 2: Miya Osamu<br/>
Rapper 3: Kageyama Tobio</p>
  <p>Phoenix:</p>
  <p>Main Vocal: Miya Atsumu<br/>
Lead Vocal 1: Akaashi Keiji —&gt; Ushijima Wakatoshi<br/>
Lead Vocal 2: Akaashi Keiji —&gt; Hoshiumi Kourai<br/>
Lead Vocal 3: Kuroo Tetsurou<br/>
Lead Vocal 4: Semi Eita —&gt; Oikawa Tooru<br/>
Lead Vocal 5: Semi Eita<br/>
Lead Vocal 6: Akaashi Keiji<br/>
Lead Vocal 7: Shirabu Kenjirou<br/>
Rapper 1: Suna Rintarou —&gt; Sakusa Kiyoomi<br/>
Rapper 2: Suna Rintatou<br/>
Rapper 3: Kuguri Naoyasa</p>
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  <p>&gt;&gt; forgetaboutthepricetag · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>oh my god you’re a lifesaver thank you so much!!! and rip Akaashi taking a big L there</p>
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  <p>dandelionfun · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>you ever think about how this is going to be the last training montage we ever see of them</p>
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  <p>boredinlimbo · 34 minutes ago</p>
  <p>KAGEYAMA CHOSE TO BE A RAPPER??? I’M STILL SO CONFUSED HE SAID HE WANTED TO SHOW A DIFFERENT SIDE OF HIMSELF BUT WE’VE NEVER HEARD HIM RAP BEFORE???</p>
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  <p>&gt; 2U2U2U2U · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>I’m personally still shocked Komori picked main vocal and went unchallenged?? if anything i thought the main vocals would have been miya atsumu and ushijima wakatoshi (even tho miya is objectively a better vocal)</p>
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  <p>crestfallen · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>final episode before the finales!! I’m super excited to see the livestream lol crossing my fingers to hope that goshiki debuts</p>
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  <p>beychella · 11 minutes ago</p>
  <p>KITA HAS TO DEBUT PLEASE NATION’S BEST LEADER I’M GONNA BE SO DEVASTATED IF HE DOESN’T DEBUT</p>
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  <p>&gt; webinarweekly · 4 minutes ago</p>
  <p>GOD IF THEY PULL A NU’EST ON US I’M GONNA BE SO MAD WHY WOULD THEY EVEN DO THIS TO US</p>
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  <p>maybenotmaybeso · 43 minutes ago</p>
  <p>I WONDER WHO’S GONNA BE CENTER FOR EACH TEAM??? THEY ALL DID SO WELL AHHH THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME</p>
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</div><b>LARS</b> @hugjuyeon · 1 hour ago<p>HOOOOOO BOY CATCH THE FINALE LIVE NEXT WEEK. THIS SHIT’S GONNA BE INTENSE. HOPEFULLY KOMORI MAKES THE TEAM OR ELSE I’LL RIOT</p><p> </p><p><b>hailey for hinata</b> @sixtyfivefeet · 2 hours ago</p><p>HINATA IS SUCH A SUNSHINE BABY HE COULD HAVE TAKEN ANYBODY’S SPOT BUT HE CHOSE THE ONE REMAINING SPOT LEFT</p><p> </p><p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 1 hour ago</p><p>ANDDDD #SAKUATSU ARE IN THE SAME TEAM AGAIN!! WORLD DOMINATION I THINK??? THEY’RE SO SOFT SAKUSA WAS SO WORRIED WHEN ATSUMU DIDN’T VOLUNTEER TO BE CENTER “is it your ankle?” WITH THE HAND ON THE THIGH I AM IN TEARS </p><p> </p><p><b>Kuroo &amp; Kenma debut pspspsps</b> @kittykatboys · 9 minutes ago</p><p>oh my god what if kuroo and kenma don’t debut tgt i’m literally going to combust in tears i’m so worried don’t separate them like this</p><p> </p><p><b>Ushijima’s toe sucker</b> @nightbrights · 1 hour ago</p><p>I just think Ushijima should win this whole damn show lmao it’s gonna be such a joke if he doesn’t??? what does the man have to do to win he’s literally the perfect center material</p><p> </p><p><b>DEBUT THE STZ TRAINEES</b> @shiraboos · 38 minutes ago</p><p>MAN i know shirabu stands no chance but am i praying like a clown anyways? yes.</p>
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</div>There are things in life you just don’t control. It took Atsumu a long time to learn this and he’s still learning it day by day. He slips on the smooth floor on day one of practice for Phoenix and mildly sprains his ankle, jarring his hip in the process and thinks that this is something he needs to learn as well: losing.<p>Instantly, his group is around him, offering him a hand. Atsumu ignores them, pushing up by himself if only to pretend the twinge in his ankle doesn’t exist. He waves off their concern, walking stiffly to the door. It’s not until he’s completely out of sight does he allow himself to hobble a little, crunching down the stairs to the medics.</p><p>It’s a minor sprain, but it’ll take him out of commission for the next two days, at least. Atsumu bites down the sting of nervous worry as they wrap his ankle up, pressing the ice pack they offer him to the slight swelling. He smiles at his team when he enters the practice room again, lying right through his teeth about how he only needs to rest for the rest of the day. </p><p>Ushijima blinks at him, glancing at his wrapped ankle and the wide, fake smile on Atsumu’s face. Hoshiumi narrows his eyes. They all know he’s lying, but they let it go without another word. Some things don’t need to be said to be understood. When you’re so close to debut you can practically touch it, you can’t afford to make any mistakes, any slip-ups.</p><p>Getting injured is the most basic mistake of them all and Atsumu’s just committed it at the worst time possible. He sits in on practice anyways, twisting his upper body to match the moves to the dance and tracking the hole in the formation. By the end of the day, he can sing Phoenix better than the rest of the group combined, his legs itching to be in motion.</p><p>When they film for the picking of center, Atsumu carefully removes the wrappings, fitting his shoe back on without disturbing the swelling too much. Sakusa sits close when they begin the process, glancing at him when they’re prompted to answer and Atsumu doesn’t raise his hand, setting his face into grim calculation.</p><p>Atsumu has no particular want to be center this time, not when he can’t beat out Ushijima or Hoshiumi or even Sakusa himself, but he inclines his head slightly in permission. He can do Sakusa another favor, he quips to himself when Sakusa’s hand is warm on his thigh and he’s leaning close enough to whisper, “Is it your ankle?” loud enough for the cameras to pick up.</p><p>He fabricates shame, dropping his eyes to the floor. “Ah, I’m already main vocal. I don’t want to bring the team down.” Sakusa’s eyes curve upwards in what has to be amusement all the while his brows draw up in fake concern. “You should do it, I’ll vote for you,” Atsumu says as earnestly as he can, fighting back his laugh when Sakusa’s eye twitches. </p><p>There are more than one ways to fight. He fakes needing to go back to the medics after dinner, bypassing the rooms entirely to hitch his way up the stairs back to the practice rooms. He passes by Kageyama in the hallways, who lingers on his ankle for a few seconds before letting him pass.</p><p>Stealing one of the smaller practice rooms for himself is easy. Atsumu rolls his ankle out carefully, ignoring the hot flashes of pain that comes with the motion, getting right into work. It’s second nature to fall into a rhythm, carefully trying not to jostle his ankle anymore as he goes through the moves robotically. Once he gets into a groove, the white stars bursting behind his eyelids every time he closes his eyes are only distractions from his final goal.</p><p>Osamu drops by, handing him a bottle of water without any comment. He sits with Atsumu for a while, running through his lyrics quietly as Atsumu forces his way through the moves to Phoenix, mindful of where he is in the formation. Atsumu sneaks a peek at the camera in the corner of the room with its blinking red light and drops by Osamu’s side for a little while. </p><p>At this critical point of the competition, every second you make it onto the screen counts. Atsumu leans on his brother’s shoulder, making sure the camera can capture both of their faces and shuts his eyes when Osamu’s hand comes to brush through his hair, untangling the knots.</p><p>“Pink is not your color,” Osamu laughs quietly, like Atsumu searches didn’t blow up the moment he showed up on frame with a bed of pink hair. It wasn’t a publicity stunt when Atsumu had picked out the box of bright pink hair dye, mostly out of spite more than anything else, but it’d done him some good. Atsumu thinks about Sakusa’s gloved hands carding through his locks, working the dye into the platinum blonde base without amble and shudders despite himself.</p><p>Osamu’s done something too, grew out the silver until his roots were long enough to pass for a decent cut, chopping off the silver ends without hesitation. Back with black hair, Osamu looks more like his brother than an idol again, something that’s still jarring every time when Atsumu looks for his familiar silver side swept bangs and comes up blank.</p><p>It suits them, he thinks, pink and black. Unnatural and natural, fitting for the way Atsumu would always do what it takes to stand out all the while Osamu rotted away next to him under his silver mop until he decided to just cut it all off. Atsumu looks at Osamu now and aches, his heart constricting in pain whenever he thinks about how many years of his life Osamu’s wasted on this, on Atsumu.</p><p>It’s a good sort of hurt, he tries to convince himself when Osamu’s arm curls heavy around his shoulders, bringing him in closer. “Samu, I wanna perform with you,” Atsumu breathes against his brother’s collar like a prayer. “I don’t wanna stop.”</p><p>He feels Osamu huff a laugh, his shoulder shaking in laughter. “Idiot,” his brother says, his voice mellow and soft. “We’re unstoppable, yeah? You and I.”</p><p>Osamu told him that when they’d just started practicing too, when the dance instructors has poked and prodded at Atsumu, still too shiny and new, until he broke. Holding Atsumu under the blankets of their shitty bunk bed, he’d whispered the same words as Atsumu cried. Five years later, Atsumu leans against his brother, breathing in his familiar scent and fights the urge to cry like he did back then.</p><p>“Hey, Samu.” Osamu hums in confirmation, his chest lifting and rising in exhaustion. Osamu shifts as he makes to stand up, warning Atsumu that he’s about to leave. He’s probably going to go to sleep, he deserves it. Atsumu thinks he’ll stay a little while longer. “When this is all over, let’s go home and eat a good meal.”</p><p>Osamu snorts in surprise and neither of them mention how Atsumu will be too busy with his newfound stardom for human things like <em>home</em>. Atsumu doesn’t stand when Osamu does, looking up at his brother for one last time. Osamu looks so tired, tired in the way he’s finally allowed to show through his idol’s mask. Atsumu wonders if he looks the same in Osamu’s eyes, if his cracks are so apparent as well.</p><p>“Don’t stay up too late,” Osamu says at last. They aren’t the vocal type, but nobody can deny the fond tone in Samu’s voice as he reaches down to ruffle Atsumu’s hair. Atsumu watches him leave, forcing his tired body upright when the affectionate glow leaves him. He starts playing the track for Phoenix again, hitting each move with extra force.</p><p>He practices until he can spot the last trainees of the day trickling out by the window on the door, until a staff knocks apologetically to turn the camera in the corner off. Atsumu smiles the whole time she’s there, bowing as she leaves in respect. He looks at the camera again, without its blinking red eye of providence, then dives back into practice twice as hard.</p><p>One, two, three, four to the beat of the music. Again and again until it becomes one, two, three, four in the morning. Atsumu doesn’t stop. He’s missed the whole day of dancing because of his stupid ankle, but he’s not idiotic enough to aggravate it more, so he alternates between resting an icepack on it as he goes through the lyrics again for fifteen minutes once every hour. </p><p>His ice pack has dripped into a slurry at this point, so Atsumu readies himself to go get a new one from the medical center. He makes it five feet outside his room with Sakusa emerging from the main practice room, shaking his curls out as he tips his head back to chug the rest of his bottle.</p><p>For a moment, they stare at each other, suspended in time, then Atsumu’s ankle threatens to give out on him once again. Sakusa is by his side in an instant, a hand underneath Atsum’s arm to support him. He doesn’t ask any patronising bullshit like “were you practicing?” or “what were you thinking?”, leading Atsumu back to the sanctuary of his little practice room before disappearing out the doors with nothing more than a “wait here”. </p><p>Atsumu sits stockstill until Sakusa returns with a fresh ice pack, the frost painting the air around it misty. Any protest Atsumu has dies down when Sakusa kneels next to him, easing his shoe off his foot gently to press the pack to the side of his swelling ankle. The fresh cold permeates the thin layer of the sock Atsumu has on and he hisses in discomfort when it hits. Sakusa pouts slightly in apology.</p><p><em>Cute.</em> Atsumu doesn’t say, watching the way Sakusa’s nose scrunch up in concentration. The silence is awkward but not uncomfortable, until Sakusa breaks it. “You’re not doing any of us any favors if you get hurt more, you know?”</p><p>That ass. Atsumu stifles laughter, tipping his head back to lean onto the wall tiredly. “I’m not doing any of you any favors if I can’t keep up with the dance either.”</p><p>“Bullshit.” Sakusa’s saintly image on screen disappears once the cameras are off. Nobody on the other side of the screen knows how Sakusa likes to swear like a sailor or how he looks when he’s properly tired, but Atsumu knows. This is a sort of victory as well, in knowing. “We both know you’ve already got the dance memorised.”</p><p>Atsumu hushes him, leaning against the warm weight of Sakusa’s side. His ankles numbs to nothing and the stars die down in his vision. Sakusa breathes, just a little too quickly and Atsumu’s eyes snap open.</p><p>They’re too close, he immediately registers. This close, Atsumu can see the tiniest scar on the bridge of Sakusa’s nose, the way his eyelashes flutter as he inhales, the two little signature moles above his eyebrow. They’re too close and Atsumu can feel the familiar heat boiling in his stomach again, in the centimeter wide chasm between the two of them.</p><p>“Kiyoomi,” he says, eyes drawn the way Sakusa swallows at his given name, tracing the slope of his throat at the motion. “How far are we going to take this?”</p><p>Sakusa reaches out with his hand, the one that’s not keeping the pack fixed to Atsumu’s ankle, his fingers coming up to tuck a wayward lock of pink hair behind Atsumu’s ear. “I don’t know,” Sakusa questions, momentous in his wake. His eyes are dark and heavy, with an unspeakable hunger in them. “How much are you willing to let me take?”</p><p>Atsumu’s breath hitches, unable to stop himself from flushing at the prospect of being <em>taken</em> by Sakusa. Atsumu’s playing with fire here, but he’s so used to the scorching heat it barely hurts anymore. He gulps just to watch Sakusa’s gaze flicker between the movement and his face, the dilated pupils tracking his every move. High on forbidden power, Atsumu thinks about how easy it would be to just lean up the last centimeter.</p><p>They both have something they want out of each other. Atsumu blinks and lets himself indulge in the idea of just giving in, throwing out five years of practice for the split second satisfaction just to <em>know</em> Sakusa. He wants this, God, he wants this. He just wants—</p><p>Atsumu doesn’t kiss Sakusa, because he’s an idol and he’s a damn good one at that. He watches Sakusa’s eyes drop to his mouth, his tongue flicking out to swipe at the seams of his lips. Atsumu burns with want. </p><p>Sakusa doesn’t kiss him either. He’s a damn good idol too.</p><p>Instead, Sakusa pulls away, his mouth set in a grim line like he’s forcing himself away. He probably is, but Atsumu’s head is too dizzy with the sudden cold bucket of thoughts to think too much about it.</p><p>“Atsumu,” Sakusa says, his confession in the dark. Atsumu wants to chase it, wants to chase the sound and shape of his name in Sakusa’s mouth, wants to taste it. He can, if he wants to. He can still have this, but he sits still when Sakusa says “let’s debut together” and backs off entirely, his posture stiff and tense.</p><p>“I’ll see you—after?” Atsumu impulsively asks, the words spilling out of him. He can’t leave Sakusa leave on this, this disjointed midpoint. “We can…” he trails off, trying to find the right word. “We can talk then.”</p><p>Sakusa exhales, screwing his eyes shut. He shifts, making to reach for Atsumu again but he stops himself in time. “Yeah,” he whispers, his eyes soft. “We’ll talk then.”</p><p>Atsumu watches his figure disappear out of the door, clutching at his chest when it gets too much. It aches, the throbbing pain different from the measurable kind in his ankle. Thoughts swarm his head, pouring poison into his ears.</p><p>Idols aren’t meant to be owned, to be possessed. They’re public property, a free-for-all feast for the audience to pick apart however they want. Atsumu’s spent the last five years losing himself, giving all the shiniest bits to the raving crowds. He’s given so much of himself he barely knows what’s left, what of the humble country boy from Hyogo he’s managed to hide away so deeply nobody has ever been able to take away from him.</p><p>Here is what he fears: he could have kissed Sakusa then and Sakusa would have let him, probably would have kissed back just as enthusiastically. He could see it, the same sort of want, burning in Sakusa’s whole body. It’s terrifying, to be feeling this sort of contraband desire and know that it’s returned. Atsumu’s not used to having anything, to have to watch Sakusa’s expression fill with longing as he turns to leave is just to ask for heartbreak.</p><p>The worse fear: Sakusa could have kissed him and Atsumu would have let him, would have kissed back without hesitation. It’s somehow worse that Sakusa could have kissed him and Atsumu wouldn’t have pushed him away, would have pulled him closer. It’s worse because that means Atsumu’s letting Sakusa take him, <em>own</em> him. Idols can’t be owned, are built to be shared, but Sakusa could have kissed him and Atsumu would have been his, without question.</p><p>Atsumu curls up into himself, picking up the ice pack from where Sakusa’s abandoned it to press it to his ankle again. He can barely feel it. He can barely feel anything anymore.</p><p>The worst fear of them all: for a breath, he was Sakusa’s. And for a breath, Sakusa was his. Now that he’s been Sakusa’s for a split second and had owned Sakusa just as equally for the same moment, he isn’t sure he can let go. </p><p>He’s not sure he can learn to live without that all-encompassing feeling of exhilaration, of having Sakusa and being Sakusa’s, again. That is what he fears most.</p>
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</div><p>TAG: PD101JP · posted by PD101_SUBS <em>14 minutes ago</em></p><p>
  <b>[TRANS] PRODUCE 101 JAPAN FINALE EPISODE 13 - MIYA ATSUMU SELF MONTAGE</b>
</p><p>The finale of Produce 101 Japan is finally here! Our team is working hard to provide live translations of what’s going on. We’re working hard during the commercial breaks to translate as fast as possible, so bear with us! </p><p>We’ll be posting properly subbed videos of all twenty of the trainee’s self montages soon. The self montage is basically a segment where trainees are put into a room with a mirror and get a chance to speak their heart about anything. A pre-recorded video of their family cheering them on would play midway through their segment which was a surprise to the trainees. </p><p>Here’s is the recap of Miya Atsumu’s self montage. Note that some of this is slightly paraphrased and we’re working to provide more accurate and full length translations afterwards. </p><p> </p><p>[START]</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> Ah, this isn’t a trick right? There are no more ghosts right? I’m going to leave if you do that to me again.</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> It’s just a mirror? Okay. [T/N: he stands in silence for a while, just looking at his reflection in the mirror.]</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> I don’t really know what to say. It’s awkward talking to yourself, you know? I’m not really the type to be open about my emotions, so it can be sometimes hard for me to express my feelings. </p><p><b>Producer:</b> Isn’t that tiring? Keeping everything bottled up?</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> Yeah, it definitely can be. I mean, I sometimes talk to Samu about it. Sometimes I talk to Kita about it. Now that I’ve met a lot of people in this competition, I sometimes talk to other people about it. Sakusa, obviously. Bokuto, Hirugami, Kageyama a little. Sometimes I’m just too tired to keep everything inside so it just comes out, ya know?</p><p><b>Producer:</b> Sounds like you’re really tired. </p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> [T/N: laughs a little] Yeah, of course I am. It’s not really a sleep thing, well it is. It’s definitely a sleep thing. But I think it’s just a general sort of exhaustion. I’ve been at this nonstop for five years and debut is so close it’s almost not a dream anymore. I think I can last a little longer, just bear with the fatigue. </p><p><b>Producer:</b> What would you do if you couldn’t debut?</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> I guess I’d go back to the company and keep practicing. I mean, what else is there to do? It’d be devastating if I couldn’t debut here, of course. But I guess there’s not much else to do but to go back to practice, if the company will even take me back. I’m not young anymore, it’s difficult when you can’t stop yourself from getting older. [T/N: he turns to the mirror and sighs] Man, when did I start looking like this? I don’t even remember when I’d last looked properly healthy.</p><p><b>Producer:</b> Do you regret going down this path?</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> No. It was always going to be this for me. I don’t think it was ever going to be anything else. I want to shine, I want to be seen. I think I would do anything for another chance to stand on stage.</p><p><b>Producer:</b> We’re going to leave you alone now. Take some time to yourself.</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> Okay. …Ah. I don’t know how to say stuff like this. Atsumu, [T/N: he laughs at himself] you’ve worked hard, haven’t you? You’ve really worked hard. </p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> I can’t talk to myself, this is too funny. I’m just going to speak like normal. I’ve worked for five years, not even counting the years of dancing and singing classes I took before to prepare for the audition. Those five years I spent practicing, they weren’t for nothing. They were all leading up for this moment, when debut is so close I can almost touch it. </p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> I can’t bring myself to regret it, even if I’m tired and hurt all the time. I wanted this and I still want it now. I want it so bad. I’ve practiced hard without pausing, given it my all. It has to mean something, right? This has to all be for something. I know I’m a good dancer and a good vocalist because I worked hard to improve myself and my skills. There’s still a lot I can improve on, but I’ve shown you all something worth seeing in myself, right?</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> I think this competition has really changed me. I came here just to debut, just to finally reach my dream. But now I think there are other things worth wanting as well. I just need to learn how to want other things first, because I’ve wanted nothing but debut for so long. </p><p>[T/N: The video of his family starts playing. The screen flashes to a video of his mother and he reels back in surprise.]</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> Ah, there was a trick! I knew it. You guys can’t just let me catch a break, can you?</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu’s mother:</b> Atsumu, are you there? Today it’s been over 1900 days since you’ve left home with Osamu and 501 days since we’ve last seen each other. Do you miss me?</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> [T/N: he starts tearing up, wiping at his eyes] Has it been that long? I suddenly miss home so much.</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu’s mother:</b> I remember when you started talking about being an idol. It started with you, then the next day Osamu was talking about being an idol too. I was so worried then, you know? I knew that the path wasn’t going to be easy and I didn’t want to let you get hurt like that, but I knew that once you set your mind to something you can never give up. I’m so proud of that, your unwavering spirit. </p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> … [T/N: he’s fully crying now]</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu’s mother:</b> I’m so worried about you nowadays. At least I know your brother knows when to stop when it gets too much, but you always made sure that you would see things through until the end. I’m proud of how you never give up, but at the same time I’m so scared that you won’t know when to take a break. [T/N: she starts tearing up as well]</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> Ah, don’t cry. I’m so sorry, please don’t cry.</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu’s mother:</b> When you were young, you used to follow me around. You’d cling on and wouldn’t let go. Sometimes I look through the pictures and wish we could go back to that, so I can hold you again. Now I think the roles are switched. Now that you are an idol in my eyes, my idol, I think I want to hold on for a little while longer and not let go. You’re so precious, you’re really so precious. </p><p>[T/N: Miya Atsumu hides his face in his hands.]</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu’s mother:</b> When I see what other people say about you and Osamu online, I get so angry when they say negative things. These are my sons, I want to tell them. Look at them, my sons. They are the pride of my family, how dare you say that about them? Because that’s what the two of you are to me. My pride, my heart. You will always be my twin prides, no matter what other people say.</p><p>[T/N: She pauses, getting a piece of tissue to wipe her eyes. Miya Atsumu crouches, still hiding his face.]</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu’s mother:</b> This show is almost coming to an end now. I know you’ve been getting good results, but no matter what you get, I’ll always be proud of you. I want you to do things that make you happy, and if this makes you happy I will always unconditionally support you. Please eat and sleep more, I see your face and my heart hurts. I worry so much that sometimes I can’t fall asleep. Atsumu, I love you. Good luck, my pride.</p><p>[T/N: The video cuts off. Miya Atsumu remains crouching and cries for a while. The production team enters again and hands him a box of tissues until he stops crying.]</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> Ah, that was too much. That was really too much. Did she have to film for Samu as well? I feel so bad, putting her through that twice.</p><p><b>Producer:</b> Your brother’s video was filmed by your father.</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> Really? I got the lucky end of the stick then. I feel so bad, making her worry. When she said she worried so much she couldn’t sleep my heart hurt so much. I don’t want to be a source of worry for her. I want her to look at me with nothing but happiness.</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> I’m so sorry to be causing her pain. [T/N: he starts tearing up again] Oh god, I’m can’t do this. I really can’t do this. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.</p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> I’m working hard to be somebody she can be proud of every day. I’m so sorry that my pain hurts you as well. I’m going to work harder to take care of myself because she cherishes me. She’s an amazing woman and I’m who she chooses to believe in, I just— </p><p><b>Miya Atsumu:</b> Thank you for always supporting me. I’ll improve until I can be somebody who will be a constant source of happiness for you, mom. Thank you for always looking at me, I love you.</p><p>[END]</p><p> </p><p>That was Miya Atsumu’s self montage. We’re also working hard to provide translations for the other 19 trainees as they are streaming. Find our translations for the other trainees’ self montages [HERE] and we’ll see you at the end of the livestream with our final lineup!</p><p> </p><p>[32 comments]</p><p><br/>
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  <p>miyagiri · 9 minutes ago</p>
  <p>OH GOD ATSUMU… I’M DREADING TO SEE OSAMU’S SELF MONTAGE. PLEASE LET THE TWINS DEBUT TOGETHER I’M SO WORRIED ABOUT THE TWO OF THEM</p>
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  <p>&gt; cryberry · 2 minutes ago</p>
  <p>to think that the twins might be seperated,,, i’m already crying</p>
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  <p>leapoffaith · 7 minutes ago</p>
  <p>he cried SO MUCH my heart is hurting. his mom and him have such a pure relationship and it’s so shocking to see Atsumu completely break down… please let him debut</p>
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  <p>wifi_l0ading · 5 minutes ago</p>
  <p>“THAT’S WHAT YOU ARE. MY PRIDE, MY HEART” CATCH ME CRYING IN THE DENNY’S PARKING LOT RIGHT NOW</p>
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  <p>pinkslip · 11 minutes ago</p>
  <p>“But now I think there are other things worth wanting as well. I just need to learn how to want other things first” DAMN this hit hard. I hope he’s doing okay mentally and knows that we support him no matter what.</p>
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  <p>&gt; aristrocratic · 1 minute ago</p>
  <p>it’s good to know he at least has his brother and the other INARI trainees and Sakusa and Bokuto to rely on…</p>
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</div><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 2 hours ago<p>#PD101JPFINALE LIVETWEETING THREAD LET’S GO</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>AHHHHHHH ALL 101 OF THE TRAINEES ARE HERE THEY’RE PREFORMING FLY HIGH!!!!! I MISS SEEING ALL 101 OF THEM I’M SO HAPPY TO SEE KUNIMI AGAIN</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>okay okay all the mentors are here,,, nicholas looks so handsome atsumu look away forgive me i have sinned</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>THEY’RE ANNOUNCING THE GROUP NAME OHHHHHHHH OKAY OKAY OKAY UKAI HURRY UP JUST SAY IT </p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>#1X1 WE OFFICIALLY HAVE A GROUP NAME AHHHHHHHHH</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>OKAY THEY’RE PERFORMING IMAGINATION NOW. HINATA CENTER???????? OH MY GOD HINATA IS CENTER HOLY FUCK WHAT IS GOING ON</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 2 hours ago</p>
  <p>I’M SO OVERWHELMED I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY OH MY GOD KAGEYAMA’S RAP???? ALL ROUNDED KING I THINK???? BOKUTO DID SO WELL AND I DID NOT KNOW KOMORI WAS SUCH A GOOD VOCAL?????</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>the stream is already an hour long holy fuck is this gonna be a 4 hour stream HHHHHH THEY’RE PERFORMING PHOENIX NOW</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>HOSHIUMI CENTER OH MY GOD THEY ALL LOOK SO GOOD IN RED ATSUMU WANTS ME DEAD WHAT THE FUCK IS HE WEARING THAT SHIT IS SHEER U CAN SEE EVERYTHING</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>oh my fucking god atsumu that SHIRT you can literally see EVERYTHING who the fuck put him in a mesh shirt with all his chest out on display and SAID IT WAS OKAY</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>phoenix is such a good song i’m gonna go insane i don’t even know what to say but HOLY FUCK ATSUMU HIGH NOTE ATSUMU HIGH NOTE HIGH NOTE I’M GOING CRAZYYYYYYY</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>im so sorry i’m literally so focused on atsumu i can’t say anything else about any of the other trainees but uh sakusa’s rap was FIRE and akaashi killed it i’m just. atsumu tunnel vision.</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>oh FUCK NOOOOOO THEY’RE DOING THE SELF MONTAGES I DON’T UNDERSTAND SHIT BUT THEY’RE ALL CRYING AND I GOT NO FUCKING IDEA WHAT TO DO </p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>don’t understand SHIT but did atsumu’s mother just call him her pride????? pain and ONLY PAIN I THINK</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>it’s gonna take them like two hours to announce all 11 members lmao i just know it i don’t understand SHIT so i’m just gonna sit and wait for the rankings…. hhh i hate how they announce starting from 10 this is so nerve wracking let us know who 11 is</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>OH MY FUCKING GOD WHAT THE FUCIJHUDYGAUIA SUNA IS 10TH INARI RIGHTS #SUNARINTAROU IS THE FIRST OFFICIAL MEMBER OF #1X1 I’M GONNA CRY HE’S SO SHOCKED LOOK AT ALL THE INARI TRAINEES SWARMING HIM</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>#SUNARINTAROU IS LITERALLY IN SO MUCH SHOCK BABY YOU DESERVE THIS SO MUCH WAIT DIDN’T HE PREDICT HE WOULD BE 10TH ALL THE WAY BACK IN THE FIRST EPISODE???? FORESIGHT KING I THINK?????</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 1 hour ago</p>
  <p>HE’S CRYING HOLY SHIT THIS ISN’T GOOD FOR ME I’M SO EMOTIONAL ALREADY AND THEY’VE ONLY JUST ANNOUNCED THE FIRST TRAINEE</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 51 minutes ago</p>
  <p>#KAGEYAMATOBIO IS NINTH HOLD THE FUCKIGN PHONEF THIS SHIT IS ISNANEWE WELCOME TO #1X1 BABY I’M SO PROUD OF YOU VHUSCIAU HE’S TRYING SO HARD NOT TO CRY</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 36 minutes ago</p>
  <p>OKAY OKAY THEY’RE ANNOUNCING 8TH NOW I’M SO NERVOUS OH MY GOD IT’S A TRAINEE FROM STZ???? NO WAY USHIJIMA DROPPED SO LOW WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 28 minutes ago</p>
  <p>GOSHIKI. GOSHIKI FUCKING TSUTOMU. I’M IN TEARS OH MY GOD HE’S ALREADYING CRYING WHAT THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO #GOSHIKITSUTOMU IS 8TH  IN #1X1 THIS SHIT IS SO INSANEEEEEEE WHO THE FUCK IS NEXT</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 13 minutes ago</p>
  <p>okay okay let me CALM THE FUCK DOWN for 7th. i can do this. i am capable of breathing. </p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 7 minutes ago</p>
  <p>ITS A TRAINEE FROM INARI NEVER MIND I AM NOT CAPABLE OF THOUGHT AGAIN SUNA LOOKS SO HOPEFUL IT’S GOTTA BE KITA RIGHT IT’S KITA JUST ANNOUNCE IT</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 2 minutes ago</p>
  <p>WHAT. WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCKING FUCK?????? WHAT THE FUCK I’M GOING INSANE THIS CANNOT BE REAL YOU’RE KIDDING ME</p>
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  <p><b>KAY | ATSUMU MIYA LET’S DEBUT</b> @onetwoseven · 22 seconds ago</p>
  <p>HOLY FUCKING SHIT</p>
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  <p>⇅⇅⇅</p>
</div>“In seventh place, congratulations, INARI Entertainment’s Miya Atsumu!”<p>Stars erupt in the cavity of Atsumu’s chest, setting off a chain of fireworks in his mind, his vision. Atsumu inhales, his hands instinctively coming up to cover his mouth. He gets halfway before he gets jumped by Bokuto, screaming in his face and patting his back.</p><p>White noise fills his head, a muted buzz that renders him speechless. Hands push him towards the front, shaking him with excitement. Atsumu exhales, with a force that rattles his insides. Then he feels it—a smile, one that’s so natural he can’t deny it, taking over his face with no end to it.</p><p>He hugs the people who come to him, hooting with Bokuto and bowing his head onto Kita’s shoulder. <em>This should be you,</em> he doesn’t say. That would be pity, and Kita, perfect, understanding Kita, deserved so much more than his pity. Atsumu wants to say that it’s not the end, but Suna is already sitting atop the pyramid, jumping to his feet to applaud for Atsumu. There was no way INARI was paying to debut three of them.</p><p>Sakusa is waiting for him when he approaches, reaching for him with just as much readiness when Atsumu is close enough. Atsumu leans as close as possible, relishing in the warmth of Sakusa’s arms tightening his shoulders. Neither of them say anything, they don’t need to. They pull apart, stars in the making and smile at each other. Atsumu moves on.</p><p>Atsumu’s throat clogs when Osamu is last to step up, the two of them meeting in the middle. Atsumu holds Osamu, real and tangible, as tight as he can. “It’s you. It always was going to be you,” Osamu rasps into his ear and Atsumu realises right then and there that he’s crying. His brother shakes, sobbing into his shoulder, then Atsumu can’t stop himself from tearing up as well, his vision blurring as he leans into Osamu’s shoulder.</p><p>“Thank you for coming along on this dream with me,” he whispers to his twin just as they start to step back. Osamu’s not even trying to stop himself from crying now. He’s openly weeping and Atsumu laughs at Osamu’s face, configured into ugliness as he sobs, sharp and real even as tears streak down his own. </p><p>Osamu catches his hand again. This is the last time they’ll ever stand on the same stage again, Atsumu realises with a sudden jolt. The thought used to terrify him, but now that they’re standing here, Atsumu at the precipice of stardom, he finds that the only thing he feels is peace. “For me, you shine the brightest,” Osamu tells him, loud enough for the microphones to pick up, but Atsumu’s too busy trying to immortalise his brother’s face at this moment to mind. </p><p>Atsumu has to leave, but he wants to milk every last second he can. They were never meant to walk the same path forever, he knows now. “Me too, you’re it for me too,” he confesses. That didn’t mean they couldn’t walk side by side, that they wouldn’t always be there for each other. Osamu wasn’t a physical sort of home, he was the kind that mattered, the kind that stayed with you no matter how far you stray.</p><p>On the walkway, Atsumu lowers himself to the ground, bowing fully. He can’t stop himself from crying, trembling as he picks himself up, putting himself back together. He’s been expecting this, from the very first moment his searches started to blow up. He knew from the very start that INARI was going to debut him, but standing here, he’s still overwhelmed by how surreal it feels. </p><p>Amongst the deafening cheers, Atsumu steps onto the final stage beneath the pyramid, smiling as Ukai hands him the microphone. He’s had a speech drafted, but he can’t remember any of it at all now, staring out into the crowd who chant his name.</p><p>“This is INARI Entertainment’s Miya Atsumu,” he starts, unable to stop the sob from bubbling out of him. He bows again to hide it, the emotions spilling over. At this moment, he feels incredibly small, a country boy from Hyogo once more. He opens his mouth, none of the words he wants to say coming out. He wants to find a corner and just sit in silence for a while to comprehend everything, his mind a mess.</p><p>“Thank you, I just—thank you,” he babbles instead, because he’s taken five years of acting lessons and they weren’t for nothing. “Thank you to all of my national producers for getting me here. This is a victory for all of you as well. I’d like to thank my company who allowed me to go onto this program because they believed in me.”</p><p>“I’d also like to thank all the producers and staff on this show,” he laughs, wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. “You’ve worked hard as well, staying up with us during late nights. Of course I have to thank the mentors as well, for always being there for us when we needed help and giving us advice on how to improve.”</p><p>Necessities out of the way, Atsumu’s throat dries when he meets eyes with Osamu across the walkway, a world away. Osamu gestures off to the side and Atsumu’s world centers in their family, sitting off to the side in the VIP area. </p><p>“I think this program taught me something very valuable.” The words are coming out now, making up for the silence that plagued him moments ago. Atsumu waves just to watch his mother jump up, holding a banner with his face on it. “I think it taught me how to be an idol, how to be somebody worth seeing, worth admiring.”</p><p>There’s an universe expanding in him right now, overtaking all his senses, his being. Atsumu breathes and it sends a gust of stardust whooshing down his lung, his tears crystallising into diamonds in their wake. “Five years,” he says, monumental. “I feel like it’s only now that I know they weren’t for nothing, that they’d all been preparing me for this moment.”</p><p>“Thank you to my family. Osamu, I promised to go home and eat a proper meal with you soon.” Atsumu waves at Osamu, in a fresh bout of tears as he cries into Kita’s hair. “Mom, Dad, I hope I’m finally somebody who you can be proud of.”</p><p>Atsumu swallows, raising his fist to the sky in victory. The crowd roars in response. </p><p>“My name is Miya Atsumu,” he tells the world. “Thank you for looking at me.”</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>⇅⇅⇅</p>
</div><b>[BREAKING] PRODUCE 101 JAPAN ANNOUNCES FINAL LINEUP FOR 1X1</b><p>
  <em>Posted October 13, 2019</em>
</p><p>Yesterday, the finale of Produce 101 was live streamed worldwide, with the final group name 1X1 announced! The finale was over three and a half hours long, including many performances as well as footage of the trainees in the past months. </p><p>CEOs of the various companies showed up in support of their trainees, as well as the families and friends of many of the trainees. We were treated to bountiful stages, with original songs Imagination by SPYAIR and Phoenix by Burnout Syndromes, as well as a full performance of all 101 trainees to the theme song of the season, FLY HIGH!!</p><p>The official lineup includes: Komori Motoya (ITACHI), Suna Rintarou (INARI), Kageyama Tobio (KRSN), Goshiki Tsutomu (STZ), Miya Atsumu (INARI), Kuroo Tetsurou (NEKO), Sakusa Kiyoomi (ITACHI), Bokuto Koutarou (FKR), Ushijima Wakatoshi (STZ), Hoshiumi Kourai (KMD), Hinata Shouyou (KRSN) in that order. </p><p>Hinata Shouyou winning was the big surprise of the season, a twist that shocked even the trainee himself as he climbed to the top of the pyramid, taking his spot as center of 1X1. Then came the nerve wracking announcement for 11th, with Oikawa Tooru (ABJS), Akaashi Keiji (FKR) and Kita Shinsuke (INARI) being eligible for the rank besides Komori Motoya.</p><p>Kita Shinsuke was announced to be 14th, followed by Akaashi Keiji in 13th. Oikawa Tooru and Komori Motoya were the final two contestants for the last spot in the group, with Komori Motoya emerging victorious.</p><p>We’re here to break down the final lineup of 1X1 as well as their various performances and growth through the program!</p><p>
  <b>11. Komori Motoya</b>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Original Class: A<br/>
Re-evaluation Class: A<br/>
Group Battles: Instagram Team B<br/>
Position Evaluations: Vocal - Lemon<br/>
Concept Evaluations: I’m a Believer<br/>
Debut Evaluations: Imagination</p>
</blockquote><p>
  <b>10. Suna Rintarou</b>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Original Class: B<br/>
Re-evaluation Class: B<br/>
Group Battles: One of One Team B<br/>
Position Evaluations: Dance - Good Thing<br/>
Concept Evaluations: Climber<br/>
Debut Evaluations: Phoenix</p>
</blockquote><p>
  <b>9. Kageyama Tobio</b>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Original Class: B<br/>
Re-evaluation Class: A<br/>
Group Battles: Fireworks Team A<br/>
Position Evaluations: Dance - You Should See Me In A Crown<br/>
Concept Evaluations: Hikari Are<br/>
Debut Evaluations: Imagination</p>
</blockquote><p>
  <b>8. Goshiki Tsutomu</b>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Original Class: C<br/>
Re-evaluation Class: B<br/>
Group Battles: Chain Team B<br/>
Position Evaluations: Dance - Over The Top<br/>
Concept Evaluations: I’m a Believer<br/>
Debut Evaluations: Imagination</p>
</blockquote><p>
  <b>7. Miya Atsumu</b>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Original Class: A<br/>
Re-evaluation Class: A<br/>
Group Battles: Chain Team A<br/>
Position Evaluations: Vocal - A Kind of Sorrow<br/>
Concept Evaluations: Hikari Are<br/>
Debut Evaluations: Phoenix</p>
</blockquote><p>
  <b>6. Kuroo Tetsurou</b>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Original Class: B<br/>
Re-evaluation Class: B<br/>
Group Battles: Coming Over Team A<br/>
Position Evaluations: Dance - Electric Kiss<br/>
Concept Evaluations: Climber<br/>
Debut Evaluations: Phoenix</p>
</blockquote><p>
  <b>5. Sakusa Kiyoomi</b>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Original Class: A<br/>
Re-evaluation Class: A<br/>
Group Battles: Chain Team A<br/>
Position Evaluations: Dance - Good Thing<br/>
Concept Evaluations: Hikari Are<br/>
Debut Evaluations: Phoenix</p>
</blockquote><p>
  <b>4. Bokuto Koutarou</b>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Original Class: A<br/>
Re-evaluation Class: A<br/>
Group Battles: Coming Over Team A<br/>
Position Evaluations: Dance - WILD WILD WILD<br/>
Concept Evaluations: Kessen Spirit<br/>
Debut Evaluations: Imagination</p>
</blockquote><p>
  <b>3. Ushijima Wakatoshi</b>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Original Class: A<br/>
Re-evaluation Class: A<br/>
Group Battles: Coming Over Team B<br/>
Position Evaluations: Dance - WILD WILD WILD<br/>
Concept Evaluations: Kessen Spirit<br/>
Debut Evaluations: Phoenix</p>
</blockquote><p><b>2. Hoshiumi Kourai</b><br/>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Original Class: A<br/>
Re-evaluation Class: A<br/>
Group Battles: Coming Over Team B<br/>
Position Evaluations: Dance - Electric Kiss<br/>
Concept Evaluations: Kessen Spirit<br/>
Debut Evaluations: Phoenix</p>
</blockquote><p><b>1. Hinata Shouyou</b><br/>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Original Class: D<br/>
Re-evaluation Class: D<br/>
Group Battles: Nekojarashi Team A<br/>
Position Evaluations: Vocal - Wherever You Are<br/>
Concept Evaluations: I’m a Believer<br/>
Debut Evaluations: Imagination</p>
</blockquote><br/><p>And that’s the final lineup of 1X1! We can’t wait to see what they’ll produce in the future, so keep an eyes out! It’s been another fantastic season of Produce 101, everyone!</p><p>[Tags: Produce 101, Produce 101 Japan, Produce 101 Japan Finale, Komori Motoya, Suna Rintarou, Kageyama Tobio, Goshiki Tsutomu, Miya Atsumu, Kuroo Tetsurou, Sakusa Kiyoomi, Bokuto Koutarou, Ushijima Wakatoshi, Hoshiumi Kourai, Hinata Shouyou]</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>⇅⇅⇅</p>
</div>In the aftermath of supernovae, Atsumu emerges from the ashes of victory in a blaze of glory, trailing like a shooting star across the stage, across the world. Everything that comes after is a blur—the screams and the congratulations and the never-ending stream of hands he shakes and people he smiles at. Atsumu is an idol, so he knows how to play the long game, his grin never fading through the hours even as it turns from real to practiced.<p>Backstage, away from the camera, away from the gaze of millions, he recedes into himself, human once more. Exhaling, he steps through the empty halls of the dorms one last time, the suitcases at the front door a stark reminder of how much was coming to an end. They’d tackle the less suffocating parts of being an idol tomorrow, the contracts detailing what and where they were allowed to do and go. </p><p>But for tonight, Atsumu is a free man, without the shackles of stardom bounding him to a plane out of earthly reach. He ghosts through the interview rooms, the main filming room, ending up in the rows of practice rooms. His body hurts too much to do much right now, the painkillers he took hours before for his ankle starting to wear off, but he sits in one of them for a little while anyway, staring at his reflection in the mirror.</p><p>He looks so exhausted in his perfection, the layers of makeup still plastered to his face, painting his features too pale and flaky. Atsumu would scrub at his face, but he already knows that it’s futile and will end up with nothing but smudged streaks, so he gives up the notion and settles for loosening the cuffs of the stupid uniform they’re forced to wear, stripping off the jacket and the tie.</p><p>He sits like this, half human half idol, in the silence of a practice room as the world moves on outside, shifting to accommodate new stars within its system. When the door opens again, he can’t help himself from smiling at the reflection of Sakusa's startled expression settling into amusement. They are the same breed, after all, shiny pieces of gold trying to dupe people into believing they were diamonds.</p><p>Sakusa brings a package of makeup wipes with him and Atsumu wipes at his face with relish, the wet slide of the cloth against his face coming off beige and pink. Atsumu’s worn so much makeup in his life it feels like a second skin by now, but he discards the stained wipes with satisfaction, catching Sakusa’s eye in the mirror as he turns back.</p><p>This was it: after. After the light show and the stages and the months and months of practice. After the 3am talks and sitting together in silent solidarity and the long-forgotten tally of favors. Atsumu stops breathing for a second, caught in the way Sakusa is looking at him. </p><p>People always looked at him like he was more than human, but Sakusa looks at him the way nobody ever did—like he was less than a star. Before they’d always maintained a distance, like planets orbiting around each other, but Atsumu breaks rank now, going to Sakusa’s side, drawn in by his gravity.</p><p>“I don’t need you,” Sakusa tells him, decisive and without hesitation, even as he leans closer almost instinctively when Atsumu nears. Maybe he feels just as encaptured as Atsumu does, the thought sending electricity tingling down his spine.</p><p>Atsumu blinks. “Okay,” he says, because he gets it. He does. Idols are sustained by the necessities: three or four hours of sleep per day, whatever is on the diet plan, the measly minutes of time they get to be on screen, to be seen. Sakusa is an idol and they don’t need much else, it’s what they’re built for. Atsumu’s manufactured just the same, hardwired to need the exact same conditions to survive.</p><p>But it’s not Sakusa’s need he seeks. He burns for something else.</p><p>So he asks, stepping close into Sakusa’s space, chest to chest, tilting his head up to look right at Sakusa. “But?” </p><p>Sakusa’s hand comes up, gliding along the planes of Atsumu’s cheek. Atsumu wants to close his eyes at the touch, but he doesn’t want to stop looking at Sakusa, wants to memorise everything about this singular moment, committing the sharp angles of Sakusa’s face, the look in his eyes to memory. “But,” Sakusa says, the singular word carrying an underlying wisp of desperation to it, and Atsumu smiles despite himself because he understands <em>want</em> just as much.</p><p>Sakusa kisses him. Or Atsumu kisses him. Or maybe they meet somewhere in the middle, stars hurtling towards each other at the speed of light, colliding in a flashbang, breaking apart into infinite specks of detritus. Sakusa’s mouth is hot and heavy and <em>real</em> against his own, his bony fingers sliding from Atsumu’s jaw to the back of his head, bringing him closer.</p><p>Atsumu presses a hand against Sakusa’s chest, against the steady jackrabbit of his heartbeat. <em>You’re human too</em>, Atsumu thinks selfishly, <em>I’ve made you human.</em></p><p>They kiss until they’re breathless, meeting again and again in a clash of sparks. Atsumu falls pliant in Sakusa’s arms, letting the flames eat at him, burning up his entire body, letting Sakusa take all he wants from Atsumu’s being. This is a sort of burning that actually hurts, the wanting, flashing through his chest in bright hot flares.</p><p>Something is shifting in him, his heart unable to stand the weight, collapsing through the cavity of his chest to form a black hole. It’s so greedy, Atsumu thinks, but so giving at the same time. It wants whatever Sakusa will give him, ready to take in anything and everything surrounding it.</p><p>They pull apart at last, Atsumu chasing Sakusa’s mouth for one last kiss as Sakusa murmurs a strangled “fuck” in the minuscule space between them, his fingers sliding through Atsumu’s hair. Atsumu’s always thought Sakusa was gorgeous, his face the idol standard, but he thinks Sakusa looks the most beautiful like this— human, filled with desire, just the slightest hint of fear in his eyes.</p><p>“Everything,” Atsumu whispers to him, as serious as destiny. “I’d let you have everything.”</p><p>Sakusa leans down to press another kiss to his mouth, desperate even in its sweetness. “Me too,” Sakusa confesses, his eyes a memory of <em>we’ll talk after</em>, “you can take everything.” </p><p>Temporary, temporary. Everything about idols are meant to be temporary, the beauty, the glory, the fame—fleeting and momentary. Atsumu has long settled for being temporary, a shining star until he burns out into the darkness. But something about Sakusa makes Atsumu want to be just the opposite—permanent. </p><p>And maybe Sakusa was chasing this too, the idea of permanency, that they’d have at least two years, but Atsumu wants more, wants to crawl inside Sakusa’s chest and make a home for himself there forever as long as Sakusa will have him.</p><p>Tomorrow they’ll be idols again, numbers 5 and 7 in the nation’s new darling boy group. But that’s a storm to be weathered tomorrow, one they’ve both had plenty of practice for. Atsumu thinks he can withstand anything, as long as Sakusa keeps wanting him. This is something he’s still learning as well—how to lose.</p><p>Tonight, in the silence of a practice room, Sakusa holds him close as he kisses Atsumu again and Atsumu burns and burns. The war draws to an end, and in the remnants of a battlefield, they become more than idols, more than stars. They become human.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>congrats on making it to the end of this 51k fic!! (also. did any of you notice that the word count of this fic is exactly 51095?? as in 5/10/95, which is Atsumu's (and Osamu's) birthday. haha)</p><p>this fic is my birthday gift to myself! pretty much this entire fic is pure self-indulgence. especially dyeing Atsumu's hair pink LOL. I wrote this entire fic in the span of 3 weeks which is pretty insane, so I'll be taking a break after this one to take a breather. (i have written almost 90k in the past 2 months lmao) but I'll be back with another fic before you know it!</p><p>as usual, thank you to <a href="https://twitter.com/FAIRSTRlFE">neens</a> for being my beta and just. letting me scream about this fic to you. good luck on YOUR fic lmao i get to laugh at you. also, ty to <a href="https://twitter.com/atsuhinass__">sarah</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/squidcxndy">squid</a> for reading thru and giving me comments and thoughts!! </p><p>title taken from <a href="http://youngerpoets.yupnet.org/2008/04/17/saying-your-names-crush-by-richard-siken-2004-winner/"> Saying Your Names</a> by Richard Siken</p><p>overall I think this is my favourite fic I have ever written. Maybe it's just bc this is PURE self indulgence, or maybe it's bc I've actually improved! But produce 101/idol au sakuatsu was something I wanted to see since nobody was going to write the fic for me i wrote it for myself! I realise that some of the songs mentioned in this fic during the earlier rounds are actually not yet released at the time this show airs, but whatever. i was too lazy to fix it after meticulously planning out EVERYTHING.</p><p>atsumu performing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRcudpJzy1I">A Kind Of Sorrow</a> is pretty much as self-indulgent as it gets. this is my favourite Chinese song and the movie it's from made me personally cry a lot of times, so i just projected onto atsumu a LOT. the high note in reference is also 02:30 of this song i think? Atsumu being a vocal in general is pretty much pandering as well LOL</p><p>this fic is pretty much just sexual and romantic tension for all 51k of it LMAOO there were points of this fic where i just wanted to yell "JUST KISS" at the two of them man i never thought i'd write a slow burn but here we are???? if this even counts as a slow burn LOLLLL i literally gifted this fic to myself i really don't need to be so extra but here we are! three weeks and 51k later.</p><p>as usual i can be found on my twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/BL4CKJACKALS">@BL4CKJACKALS</a>, i'm always looking for more friends &lt;3</p><p>leave a comment or a kudo if you enjoyed, it means a lot :D</p></blockquote></div></div>
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